Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When we started this process two and a half years ago there was genuine enthusiasm among all the Whips. There was a willingness to work together to try to achieve the sort of reform that we considered necessary. Many of us were approaching this in the context of the intention, expressed by the Government parties during the election campaign, to effect a democratic revolution. It has been admitted by Deputy Kehoe and indeed by Deputy Stagg, who has been around for a lot longer than most of us, that perhaps for the first time we had unanimity in terms of working towards reform. However, while I do not blame Deputy Kehoe, who is only responding to his political masters, what we now have is a level of disenchantment across the board because the scale of reform that was envisaged has not been achieved. Fianna Fáil published a document on reform last July and my party Leader gave it to the Taoiseach last week or the week before. In terms of the anxieties and concerns of my party leader, one of those derives from the fact that both he and Deputy Adams were given very explicit commitments by the Taoiseach that in advance of the publication and implementation of a package of reforms, he would sit down with the party leaders and have a meaningful discussion with them. That did not happen. When we met the Taoiseach a week or two ago, I asked him what was going to happen on this particular package and he said the Government would be proceeding with it and that he would not be having the discussion with party leaders to which he had committed. That gives rise to justifiable anger and frustration on the part of my party leader, Deputy Adams and others.

I have never said that there are no positive proposals in this package of reforms. However, as Deputy Martin has said, the reforms fall so far short of what was possible and what was promised as to be disenchanting and disillusioning. The Friday debate has been referred to by some Members. It is, on the one hand, exciting that backbenchers are being given the opportunity to bring forward legislation, but how meaningful is any of that unless some of the legislation is actually enacted? Otherwise, it is nothing more than a talking shop. The reality is that in two and a half years none of the Bills discussed on a Friday has been written into law, and there is no prospect of any future Bills that will be discussed being enacted either. Reference was also made to the pre-legislative debate, which is a very good initiative, and I commend Deputy Kehoe on that. However, it has always been possible for Oireachtas committees to conduct pre-legislative discussions and consultations. It is good that the Government is formalising the process and we support that. However, as my party leader quite rightly pointed out, on the one hand the Government is promising pre-legislative discussion but on the other hand, next week we will debate one of the most important Bills that the Dáil will consider between now and Christmas, the social welfare Bill, but there has not been any pre-legislative discussion on that. That legislation, as Deputy Martin pointed out, will be rammed through the House next week. That is completely at variance with the sense coming from Government of what it wants to do.

Deputy Carey has expressed his annoyance at the departure of Deputy Martin, who has gone to fulfil another commitment, but we were here on Tuesday last for the budget debate, and I can assure Deputy Carey that I was pretty annoyed when I saw the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform get up and leave the Chamber while the budgetary debate was still under way.

It was more important for the two Ministers to leave the Chamber to start the spinning outside. In the past the one Minister would have stayed in the Chamber for the entire budget debate.

See this speech in context