Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I thank Deputy Joan Burton for sharing time. I read the Minister of State's contribution with interest and aspects of it are well worth noting. I am interested to see how we might expand and enhance the issue of e-consultation to introduce a level of public involvement in the work of the committees. It was done with the Committee on European Affairs when we held the week on European affairs, raised European issues in the Dáil and devoted our time entirely to them. It was extremely useful.

I welcome the establishment of the joint committee on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. It is overdue and can only be beneficial. I am somewhat perplexed by the committee on the constitutional amendment regarding children considering we will also have a committee on children which surely could do the work proposed for the committee on the constitutional amendment. It could deal with its broader work when the constitutional amendment has been dealt with and it seems an unnecessary replication.

I am glad to see the establishment of a joint administrative committee through linking the Joint Services Committee and the Sub-Committee on Members' Services. I also welcome the further enhancement of the work of the European affairs committee which is clearly necessary in terms of resources, staffing, advisory work and training due to the enormous amount of scrutiny required for the extra legislative proposals coming from Europe.

My problem with this is that much of it will be wasted because of the committees' lack of real power. Every Member of the House should have the right to be on a committee. Why should any Member whether part of a large, small or no group be denied membership of committees? Unless one is a member of a large group one will not be made a member of any committee. This is wrong. The committee system should be integral for every Member and should be re-examined.

Perhaps I can give an example of the committee of which I was a member, the Joint Committee on European Affairs. Five months have passed since the election and that committee has not been established — the position is similar with all other committees. In the coming weeks and months we will face probably the biggest single legislative decision that will be taken in the five years of this Government, namely, the reform treaty. The Government will nail its colours to the mast by the end of next week on where it stands on the substantive proposals in that treaty without as yet a full commitment to debate in the House prior to that decision. There is no opportunity for the committee to scrutinise the proposals in advance because it has not been set up. Ireland is the only country in the EU that will put that matter to the people by way of a referendum without prior consultation with the people. The Taoiseach has given a confused commitment to a debate without saying it will definitely take place next week. I hope it takes place next week but it should have been part and parcel of the committee system so that it could have been debated properly.

The enhanced resources that will be given to the European affairs committee are being given in such a way that, while welcome, it is like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. One of the last items of legislation passed in the last Dáil was European affairs legislation that transferred proper legislative scrutiny in this House to the line Minister. From now legislation coming from Europe will be subject to a rubber stamp by way of a ministerial order. The relevant Minister will look at it and, unless it is of major character, will stamp it into domestic legislation and place it in the Library. If nobody objects within three weeks it will be the law of this country. We are being given extra resources but already the deal will be done and we will have had very little control over it.

We need to look carefully at the role of the committee system and how its powers can be enhanced. We have an extremely strong Executive but we have a weak committee system in terms of real power.

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