Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I would like to speak in favour of the Labour Party motion, which raises three essential issues — the relevance of this Parliament; public trust in politics and politicians, given the way we behave; and the key social and economic challenges we face. While it may not be wise to include all three issues in one motion, that has been done and we have to debate them. I propose to address them separately.

The first issue is the relevance of this House as a functioning Parliament. Deputy Timmins and I called for the adjournment of the proceedings of the House under Standing Order 32 to discuss the decision of the people, by referendum, not to ratify the Lisbon treaty. While I respect the decision made by the Ceann Comhairle not to accede to our request, I do not agree with it. I feel that the Members of the House should have been given an opportunity to discuss this important matter, which is not only one of the major news items of the day in Ireland, but is also on the front pages and editorial columns of every newspaper in Europe. We were told today in this House that it is not a matter of national importance. Instead, we are considering legislation we have been discussing for weeks, as well as this motion, which could have been considered any week, quite frankly. That this Parliament is becoming so irrelevant to politics and the real world around us is an indictment of us. It damages this House and this democracy much more than we realise.

The House will debate the Lisbon treaty tomorrow, in the form of statements. We all know that will involve politicians coming to the Chamber, speaking to themselves, getting recorded in the Official Report and perhaps being quoted in The Irish Times. In a real parliament, we would have an opportunity to make statements if we really wanted but, more importantly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs would take questions and engage in a proper discussion of what is important. The Minister for Health and Children is the only Minister in the Government who has the courage and the balls, quite frankly, to do that. Since I was elected to this House, she has come to the Chamber on two occasions to answer hard questions on issues such as cancer services. The other Ministers between them do not have the courage of that one woman. No other Minister is prepared to make himself or herself accountable before the House. For example, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, absolutely refused to come to the House to explain the driving licence fiasco. It is a real shame. I am being non-partisan by pointing out that at least one member of the Cabinet believes in Parliament and has the courage to be accountable to it. No other Minister is prepared to do that. Our Parliament is irrelevant because it does not ensure that Ministers are accountable.

The Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008 and the motion on the proposed prison at Thornton Hall are being guillotined in the House today. The discussion on them is being limited. Opposition parties are given just three hours of Private Members' time each week in which to set the agenda. I was about to say that smaller parties like the Labour Party and Sinn Féin should be given more time, but perhaps they do not deserve it because there is no Labour Party Deputy present for this part of the debate on a Labour Party motion. Such parties get an opportunity to raise and discuss issues once every six weeks. There is plenty of scope for longer sittings, which would give the Opposition more time to raise important issues. The leader of the Labour Party mentioned earlier that the House of Commons meets 133 days a year and the US Senate meets over 150 days a year, but this House meets less than 100 days a year. While Italy is not the hardest working country in Europe when it comes to other sectors of the economy, its parliament is different, given the Italian Chamber of Deputies meets 160 days a year.

During the debate on the Lisbon treaty referendum, many people suggested that the EU is not democratic and that more democracy is needed at EU level. The European Union is a damn sight more democratic than Ireland. The European Parliament actually has power. It defeats the European Commission on certain issues, changes legislation, sits for longer periods of time, does not have a party whip, is not controlled by the Government and is not a rubber stamp for the Commission. The European Union is much more democratic than Ireland. The European Parliament is a lot more powerful in the EU system than the Oireachtas is in the Irish system. The Government controls and prorogues our Parliament because it does not want it to function. Essentially, it wants a one-party State and a rubber-stamp Parliament. Such a system is probably more suited to an African country then a European one, but it is essentially what we have. It is like the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union. We have a show parliament that does not really function. As someone who came from county council level, where real decisions were made and one could win a vote by the strength of one's argument, it is frustrating for me to find that does not happen in the Dáil. The proposal to go on holidays for three months exposes to the world the irrelevance of this House. It underlines the fact that the Government does not want it to be relevant.

I support the Labour Party's proposed sitting hours. We do not need to sit until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. each night. We could finish early. Most people finish work at a reasonable time like 6 p.m. We could do that. It is very difficult for women with families to participate in politics because they are unfairly expected to be here until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. — or 10 p.m., as it is tonight. Such sitting hours remain from the old days of gentlemen politicians or barristers who spent the day in the Law Library before coming here to talk about the grave issues of the day. Rather than having 12-hour and 15-hour sessions, why not have an eight-hour or nine-hour day, like most people? Such shorter sitting days should be spread more evenly throughout the year. We should have proper committee weeks in which committees sit but the House does not meet in plenary session. Members are aware of the rushed 90-minute committee meetings we have at present. If somebody calls a vote in the Dáil, committee meetings have to be suspended and everybody has to run to the Chamber to vote. That is no way to do business. We could have the same number of sitting weeks, as well as distinct committee weeks. We could also have party weeks. If Members do not want to be here for party political weeks, they will not have to be. Such weeks should be provided for. Political parties have very little time to meet and discuss strategies and policies. Today's meeting of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party took place at 5.30 p.m., at the same time as a debate in this Chamber. The meeting had to break up when a vote was called here. We do not get any credit for the crazy workaholic 13-hour days we work. The work of Parliament should be done in eight-hour days which are spread over a longer period of time. That is what is done in other countries.

Public trust in politics and politicians is at an all-time low. As someone who works as a doctor in my other life, I really see the difference. I am the same person when I am a doctor as I am when I am a politician. When I am a doctor, I am treated with undeserved respect and confidence, for some reason I do not fully understand, and I am paid a hell of a lot more. When I am a politician, I am treated like a lazy pariah and liar who does no work. I am paid much less as a politician than I am as a doctor. I am begrudged very penny I earn as a politician by people, including journalists, who earn much more than me. That is a real problem for us. The people's low opinion of politicians is one of the reasons the Lisbon treaty was defeated. While that opinion is mostly undeserved, it is partly deserved as a consequence of the way this Parliament acts. I refer to the long holidays we take, the unaccountable way in which we are paid our expenses and the fact Ministers, if not ordinary Deputies, are prepared to award themselves massive pay increases at a time when most people are facing tighter budgets.

We should not forget the serious impact of the tribunals. I do not think it is just a question of the cost of tribunals, although that is an issue. People would be prepared to bear the cost if they believed there were consequences resulting from the tribunals. There are no consequences, however. A former Taoiseach has gone to the tribunal and essentially given the John Gilligan defence — that he won the money on the horses. This is a defence for drug dealers and pimps and not the kind of thing that should be tolerated from a former Taoiseach and Member of this House. We do nothing, we wash our hands and say it is a matter for the tribunal. There is no system of accountability or ethics, and we ask ourselves why people have such a low opinion of politicians. People have such a low opinion of politicians because we will not root out the rotten apples in our own barrel, and we allow them to contaminate our entire system.

I welcome this motion. I did not get a chance to talk about some of the key social and economic challenges we face. Deputy Stanton will do that. It is important that we get real. Politics in this country is falling apart. We must show the people we work hard and that our work is relevant. We must begin to restore trust in politics and this is one way of doing it.

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