Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)

Two issues arise constantly on the floor of the House. We need to have a mechanism for Deputies to raise topical current issues. As the Ceann Comhairle and Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, will agree, Members currently use devices such as Standing Order 32 to try to place on record, in the barest of terms, constituency matters and various other issues. The Standing Order is in place for good reason, namely, to provide for occasions when it needs to be used for the purpose for which it is intended, as opposed to being used to raise issues such as schools in Straffan or elsewhere. However, as Deputies do not have a mechanism available to them to raise such matters, they use Standing Orders or try to attach local issues to questions on promised legislation on the Order of Business. This is an ineffective approach. The proposal, on which there will be general agreement, is to have topical issues discussed for one hour every morning and to bring forward the Adjournment debate. This would be in accordance with suggestions made by the Ceann Comhairle.

The major issue is that Deputies cannot raise questions or motions about more than 1,000 quangos established to deal with issues for which Ministers were previously responsible to the House. We all know the larger of these bodies but Deputies regularly find when they ask questions of Ministers that small bodies are responsible for the matters they have raised. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, referred to this issue in a speech on 18 July last year. A copy should be sent to those Ministers who have not yet read it. The Minister described the "tendency to establish many agencies and bodies at one remove from Government" as "a form of abdication from Government responsibilities". He did not, he stated, agree with this practice and argued that government by quango was not rule. He added that while he expected the electorate to judge him on the decisions made, it could not judge quangos. As a result, quangos retain power even when a Government loses an election.

We need to address the ability of Deputies to raise questions with Ministers about the expenditure of public funds provided by the taxpayer through Ministers to these agencies. We are currently specifically prevented from doing so by legislation. Is the Government considering or will it agree to change Standing Orders and the legislation which prohibits Members from asking questions? If the Minister of State can respond positively — I am aware he is not acting ex cathedra today — or indicate he is willing to bring such a proposal to Government, the House will have done a good day's work. That is the main proposal under discussion and it relates to the main problem Deputies experience. If the Minister of State can indicate we will make progress in clawing back power for the House and those whom we represent from more than 1,000 quangos, we will have done a good day's work.

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