Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

On behalf of the Technical Group, I engaged with the other Whips on this issue before returning to my colleagues with a number of proposals. In our discussions one of the major concerns expressed was the lack of a big vision for reform. While changes such as the introduction of Friday sittings and topical debates are welcome, although I am not sure the latter are being well handled, they are nothing more than tinkering with the process. Changes must be meaningful and fit into a much broader reform agenda. I accept that reform may have to be delivered incrementally but the proposals put forward or accepted by the Government thus far have been very tame. I am concerned that a constitutional convention will produce either a wishy-washy outcome or, in the event that it produces decisive recommendations, that the Government will fail to deliver on them on the basis that it would be impossible to put them all to the people by way of referendum during its lifetime.

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