Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

I will start on a positive note by welcoming the Government's response to some of the concerns expressed by the Technical Group and others regarding its initial proposals on Dáil reform. The Minister of State outlined substantial improvements to his initial proposals on Dáil business and there appears to be a genuine willingness on the part of the Government to take on board our suggestions. The topical issues slots that are proposed to replace the Adjournment debate are welcome, as is the fact that they will be scheduled reasonably early in the day. It is hoped these debates will bring more vibrancy and topicality to our business and perhaps end some of the frustration Deputies can feel when they try to raise topical issues on the Order of Business. I also welcome the reversal of the Government's initial decision to cut back on the period of time during which the Taoiseach will be available for questions in the Dáil. It is critical that the Taoiseach continues to be accountable to the public through this House.

Question and answer sessions should be routinely included before the conclusion of debates on legislation and topical issues. A number of Deputies have pointed out that debates often follow a model which involves set statements and a relatively small number of Members in the House at any time. The Minister is often not present to hear the questions raised during the course of the debate. While this is inevitable in the context of a debate that continues over several sessions, it would be useful to conclude with question and answer sessions so that Deputies could directly interact with the Minister.

In the context of yesterday's debate on the Private Members' motion on political reform, I suggested that we should loosen what is allowed during the Order of Business in terms of asking about future schedules for the Dáil and requests for debates. The rules on the Order of Business are restrictive and it becomes a circus with Deputies trying to negotiate their way around the strictures.

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