Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I wish to make a personal observation and I will be quick. Those who have studied parliaments in Europe in the past 20 years have reached the conclusion that parliaments everywhere are in trouble. Those who are encouraging a disinterest and cynicism in parliamentarianism have a very great responsibility to carry. A badly resourced committee system that drains energy from the plenary system of parliaments everywhere does more damage than good. I initiated a study last year of 43 foreign affairs committees in every country in Europe and no committee was satisfied with accountability on foreign policy. I do not have the time to go into it but I put it to the Taoiseach that every committee mentioned the absence of a distance between the executive of the day and the committee; in other words the absence of autonomy was a reason given. There were also practical reasons which are relevant to what we are discussing today.

For example, committees frequently wind up on the basis that people have to get out of the committee room because another group is scheduled to come in. There is the simple issue of space. The only committees that were satisfied in that regard were those which owned their own building. There are issues of space and resources. Most Deputies are afraid to criticise any aspect of the media but there is a comprehensive neglect by the media of the committee system.

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