Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

It is clear from the Taoiseach's reply that the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, formerly the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman of the Office of the Attorney General, is under-staffed.

Is this under-staffing the cause of a contributory factor in the delay in legislation being published? I refer to a number of pieces of legislation which have been in the pipeline for some time, including the Ombudsman (amendment) Bill, originally promised in 2003, the broadcasting Bill, the employment agency regulation Bill, which now appears to be dropped from the immediate publication list, the employment law compliance Bill, the Dublin transport authority Bill and others. Is the delay due to a shortage of staff? Are contract staff employed in the drafting of legislation and, if so, are they from outside the State?

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