Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My question relates to a matter mentioned by the Tánaiste. Members make the best of facilities in the House. Members are particularly able to make an input in committees. At this stage, they have a more meaningful input in committees than here in the Chamber. The problem in the Chamber is that everything centres around set pieces such as Leaders' Questions and the rest of the Deputies are asked to come along by the Whips, but we can have no input whatsoever. In other parliaments Deputies like us are allowed to participate and we used to be allowed in this House. Leaders' Questions is a new phenomenon. It only goes back ten or 15 years and did not exist before then. Leaders should not be given priority in the House because we are all equal. When Dáil reform proposals come up there should be proposals to allow backbenches to have an input into the ordering of the business of the Dáil.

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