Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8, inclusive, together.

The programme for Government outlined an ambitious agenda for Oireachtas reform to be introduced in a phased process over the lifetime of this Government. No parliament is perfect and the process of parliamentary reform is always ongoing. The reforms introduced since this Government took office in March 2011, together with the reforms introduced last week, will improve the working of the Oireachtas, but they are not the end of the reform process. Work has started on the next phase of Dáil reform. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and I have met the Opposition leaders and Whips to discuss what should be included in the next phase of Oireachtas reform.

The first phase of the Dáil reform was introduced in the summer of 2011 and included an additional Leaders' Questions session on Thursdays, to be taken by the Tánaiste; Topical Issue debates to replace the outmoded Adjournment debates; Friday sittings for Deputies to introduce their own Bills; an appeal to the Ceann Comhairle if a Deputy is unhappy with the reply received to a parliamentary question; as well as a restructuring of the Oireachtas committee system by reducing the number of Oireachtas committees from 25 to 16 and providing a system of pre-legislative review.

In the summer of 2012, further reforms to the Oireachtas committee system were introduced, which streamlined the structure and allowed additional focus on areas such as jobs and agriculture. The Dáil reform sub-committee met on a number of occasions in 2012 and 2013 to discuss Dáil reform proposals. In September 2013, the Government announced the second phase of the Dáil reform programme. In October 2013 the Dáil debated changes to Standing Orders and the new changes were introduced last week.

More public involvement in the law-making process will be achieved as follows. A pre-legislative stage before an Oireachtas committee will be a requirement for all non-emergency legislation. A Minister who does not bring a Bill to committee for pre-legislative stage will be required to explain that decision to the Dáil. The pre-legislative stage will allow for an unprecedented and extensive engagement by the public in law-making. The committee can consult experts and civic society. Crucially, this will take place before the legislation is drafted. Where there has been a pre-legislative stage, the chair, vice chair or a member of the relevant committee will have a right equal to that of the Minister and the Opposition spokespersons to speak in the Dáil to outline the committee's work.

In addition, the Government’s priorities will be outlined to the Dáil on an annual basis as follows. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste will address the Dáil setting out the Government's annual priorities. Each Minister will also address the Dáil setting out his or her Department’s plans for the future. The Government will publish for debate in the Dáil an economic update and projections for the next three years, using the stability programme and national reform programme; a national risk assessment, which will set out the risks, both financial and non-financial, which the country faces in the year ahead; and a national progress report, produced independently by the CSO.

The role of Oireachtas committees in the budget process will be expanded as follows. In April each year the stability programme update is presented by the Government to the EU. Committees will be able to review this information and report before the budget in October. The budget and spending Estimates will be published in October and committees will, for the first time, scrutinise the budget proposals and the Estimates before the beginning of the financial year and before any money is spent. A new, improved model of financial scrutiny, which was piloted for five Departments in 2013, will be rolled out to all Departments by 2015. We are introducing a number of measures to improve the legislative process, including the following. A new system for the drafting and enactment of legislation will include a reduction in the number of legislative programmes to two per year. The Dáil sitting day will be longer, starting at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and the increase in time available will be used to debate legislation. These steps will result in a reduction in the use of the guillotine.

Legislative debate in the Chamber will be improved by the following reforms. On First Stage the proposer of a Private Member’s Bill will have five minutes to outline the purpose of the Bill. On Second Stage the chair or vice chair of the committee which considered the Bill at pre-legislative stage will have a speaking slot to report to the Dáil on its findings. At the end of the Second Stage debate, 45 minutes will be allowed for concluding remarks by Deputies chosen by the Ceann Comhairle at random who had previously spoken on the Bill.

Changes to Friday sittings will include the following: the Dáil will sit every second Friday to debate a Private Members' Bill and committee reports. This will allow more Deputies to have their Bills debated in the Dáil and allow Oireachtas committee reports to be debated in the Dáil. Private Members' Bills and committee reports will be selected using a lottery system. A Minister or Minister of State will speak during the debate to outline the Government’s response.

Reforms to the system for topical issues include the following: the Minister or a Minister of State from the relevant Department will reply to topical issue debates. If this is not the case, the Deputy can ask to have the matter deferred until a Minister from that Department is available, when it will be given priority.

Changes to parliamentary questions include the following: an ordinary oral question will be answered only if the Deputy tabling the question is in the Chamber when it is reached. The Deputy will be given a brief period of 30 seconds, to outline the question. An Opposition spokesperson will no longer be able to nominate questions in the name of other Deputies, but can submit five ordinary questions.

A new system of post-legislative review will be introduced as follows: a Minister will report to the relevant Oireachtas committee within 12 months of enactment of an Act to review the functioning of the Act. The number of Dáil sitting days has been significantly increased by reducing the length of the Dáil recesses and introducing additional sitting days. A comparison of sitting days between this Government’s first two and a half years in office, when the Dáil sat 303 days, and the first two and a half years in office of the previous Fianna Fáil, Green and Progressive Democrats coalition, when the Dáil sat 229 days, shows an increase of 74 sitting days or 32.3%.

No Cabinet sub-committee on political reform has been established. The establishment of Cabinet committees is a matter for Government and the need for further Cabinet committees is kept under review. Work has started on the next phase of Dáil reform. As I have already said, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Government Whips have met with the Opposition party leaders and Whips to discuss the next phase of Dáil reform. The Dáil reform sub-committee, discussions with Opposition party leaders and Whips and consultation with all Deputies will all form part of developing the next set of Dáil reforms.

See this speech in context