Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Chief Whip for his answer. The programme for Government contains a commitment for a constitutional convention and a variety of measures on Oireachtas reform, some of which the Minister of State outlined in his reply. When will we see a Government programme and timetable in this regard? The Minister of State said he would consider this matter with his Government colleagues and then bring proposals to the sub-committee on Dáil reform. The latter sub-committee can be established immediately to begin some of the preparatory work while the Chief Whip is consulting his colleagues. I ask him to do that so other parties can start feeding into the proposals for change required to make the Oireachtas more effective and efficient.

When will the sub-committee on Dáil reform be set up and when will it meet initially? This matter is urgent given what we saw yesterday involving changes to Standing Orders, which happened in a piecemeal fashion. We do not want to see that recurring.

Will the constitutional convention require legislation and, if so, when will we see that? I did not notice such proposals in the Government's legislative programme, so will it be brought before the House quite quickly? Many of the proposed changes to the way the Dáil works would require extensive amendments to Standing Orders. Consequently, we need to see the draft changes as quickly as possible so that parties can have consultations on them.

The programme for Government contains a number of proposals for reform, including the abolition of the Seanad. It is suggested that some of the proposals will be referred to the constitutional convention while others will not. How will the Minister of State distinguish between them? Will he proceed with the abolition of the Seanad, or changing it, prior to the convention or after it?

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