Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Connaughton can take it that the Government proposes to continue its general population engagement. We are serious about being a reforming Government, from corporate donations to gender quotas and the perks, etc., of the past, which will ensure Parliament is seen to be more effective. This is about getting the business done here and in committee. I am serious about proving that our committee system can work far more effectively than ever before. This will be done through engagement with the public and civic society, as already proposed.

On Deputy Deering's point, we can look again at the possibility of having a committee week. I favour this but many Deputies do not for a variety of reasons. We have had committee weeks before. We could, for example, take Leaders' Questions, the Order of Business and so on in the morning and then move to the committee week. This is done to great effect in the European Parliament. The process is well controlled there. As I said, while I favour this, many others do not. I will undertake to look at it again.

On Deputy Griffin's question in relation to the budgetary process, the Government submits a stability programme update to the European Commission every April. This allows for it to be reviewed by Members of the Houses in committee prior to the budget in October. The Department of Finance and Independent Fiscal Advisory Council provides briefing to Oireachtas Members in this regard. The budget and spending Estimates are published in October. Members of committees can then between October and Christmas and prior to any moneys being spent engage with Ministers in regard to their priorities in terms of spending. This is also in the public interest.

Deputy Harrington referred to the heads of Bill discussions in committee. We will ensure this happens. I see this as a fundamentally important part of the process. The Deputy will be aware that for years we have had a process whereby a Minister makes a decision to introduce a Bill, which is then prepared by the Parliamentary Counsel's office and returned to Government with nobody having any say on it until it reaches Committee Stage. If we reverse that process and have everybody involved from the beginning, we would probably save a lot of time on Committee Stage.

On the introduction of business hour sittings, many people here have families and long distances to travel, including the staff of the Houses. We must cater for everybody. I thought the introduction of earlier sittings would mean getting home earlier to family members and so on. However, for those of us who have to travel to the Dáil, it is quite a different story. We have to put the time allocated to best effect.

I take Deputy Murphy's point. However, I have been in this House on umpteen occasions when voting was tight and people because of a crisis of conscience voted against the Government, resulting in it falling. I refer the Deputy to the recent rise in interest rates when a Minister for Finance in Europe resigned. Instability is the biggest cause of mistrust by investors. They will not have sentiment, sympathy or memory. They do not react, they anticipate. A country in which there is instability loses that trust in terms of growing its economy. These are issues about which we must be, and will be, serious in the time ahead.

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