Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I wish to ask the Minister about the Joint Committee on Investigations, Oversight and Petitions. As he is aware, there is a commitment in the programme for Government that this would be a powerful committee to receive petitions in respect of public bodies. Ironically, there has been much foot dragging on this very committee that was flagged by the Government as a landmark innovation. Why are the Chief Whip and others dragging their feet and why has a motion not yet been brought forward to set in place the Standing Orders for this committee to allow its members to get ahead and do the work of a powerful committee, as the Government described it?

See this speech in context