Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)

The Government has committed in the programme for Government to a radical reform of our system of government, at constitutional level, at political level and at Dáil level. The Government will significantly reduce the size of the Oireachtas, with the proposed abolition of the Seanad being put to the public next year in a constitutional referendum. The switch to a single-Chamber Parliament would create an Oireachtas that is more effective, efficient and in tune with our democratic ideals. Sweden, Denmark and New Zealand have all abolished their second Houses to create single-Chamber Parliaments. When the Taoiseach, as Leader of the Opposition, announced that our party in government would give people an opportunity to vote on the abolition of the Seanad, it was called a gimmick. Within 18 months the other political parties were in agreement with that policy and it is now included in the programme for Government. The people will have their say on the matter in 2012.

In the interim the Government will try to ensure we have an efficient Seanad with a real work ethic that will offer a reformed way of doing business in the time remaining to it. The Taoiseach's 11 appointed Senators showed a break with the past by including a number of independent individuals from outside the political system. These include Dr. Martin McAleese; Eamonn Coghlan, the great Olympian athlete and director of the Children's Medical and Research Foundation at Crumlin hospital; Fiach Mac Conghail, director of the Abbey Theatre and chairman of We the Citizens; Mary Ann O'Brien, founder of the Jack and Jill Foundation; Jillian Van Turnhout of the Children's Rights Alliance; and Marie-Louise O'Donnell, lecturer and media contributor.

I am currently meeting with the Opposition Whips to devise proposals for Dáil reform. Work has already started to establish a boundary commission which will review the findings of the recent census of population and seek to reduce the number of Deputies. Reform has been an issue that many Governments have discussed but few have acted upon, as Deputy Ó Snodaigh observed. This Government will be different. We have proposed a radical reform of the way the Dáil operates to make it fit for purpose in the 21st century. The programme for Government undertakes to increase the number of Dáil sitting days by 50%. This will involve reducing the length of breaks at Christmas, Easter and during the summer and returning a day earlier after bank holidays. This has been the first Dáil to sit during the week of St. Patrick's Day.

The Government is also reforming the Oireachtas committee system. The new system will break with the practice of the previous Government which was designed to find jobs for Deputies rather than to ensure we had a functioning part of the Oireachtas. We will have fewer committees and they will be focused on detailed work programmes. Deputies and Senators will be members of fewer committees and will thus have more time to meet the demands and opportunities the new focused committees will provide. The vast majority of Members, in all parties, want to contribute in a meaningful way to the running of this country and to serve the Irish people. The radically reformed committee structure will give them that opportunity. In addition, we will ensure that Oireachtas committees have full powers of investigation. A referendum will be held to address the Abbeylara Supreme Court decision which currently limits the ability of committees to undertake effective investigations into crucial issues of public concern.

Following consultation with the Opposition Whips I will bring forward reform proposals before the end of this session. I hope those reforms will be in place by the second week in September when the Dáil returns after the summer break. They will enhance the functioning of the House and afford Members more opportunities for effective debate. That is what Members on both sides of the House want and what they were elected to do.

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