Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

It is not agreed. Today, the Government is putting in place the terms of reference for the new committees. This is deeply disappointing and is a retrograde step which will reduce accountability in this House and the capacity of the Dáil to have oversight over many Government Departments. It was a consistent theme of the Taoiseach's colleagues in the last Dáil that even single issue committees did not have the time or space to deal with issues in Departments. Despite that widely held view, the Government is now pressing ahead with a change which will, in essence, see the level of scrutiny reduced by two thirds.

If we consider some of what is before us on the Order Paper, for example, the select committees on jobs, social protection and education and skills, we find that three Government Departments are being run into one committee with 21 members.

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