Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

I raise an issue on which there should be cross-party support, namely, the consequences of the Supreme Court judgment in the Abbeylara or Ardagh v. Maguire case in 2002, which precludes committees of the Oireachtas from attributing blame to any named or identifiable individual. The court's decision was based on the fact that the Oireachtas was taking on a quasi-judicial role. I imagine cross-party support could be achieved for a reform of Dáil and committee procedures, particularly given that the alternative has been tribunals. We have seen how the tribunals have given rise to enormous delays and costs running into hundreds of millions of euro. Would the Taoiseach consider a change in the Constitution that would permit a strengthening of Oireachtas committees to enable them to deal with the effects of the Abbeylara decision?

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