Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

While I welcomed some of the recent changes to Dáil procedures they were not without some controversy. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State mentioned consultation. These changes are often a fait accompli, and by the time a decision reaches the Members the Government has already decided to go ahead with a particular proposal leaving us to row in behind it or suck it up. Does the Minister of State agree that there needs to be proper consultation as in a list of proposed changes circulated to all Members, not just those within political parties to allow them make some kind of input? Even if the Dáil reform committee does not agree with them Members will at least have had some say because the changes brought into this Chamber affect every Member of the House. They also significantly affect the staff who do not have a say in the matter in any shape or form. Can we ensure that there is proper consultation at an early stage rather than after the fact or when a full proposal is already on the table?

Does the Minister of State agreed that there is a conflict between the number of sitting days and the hours that we sit? He mentioned that we have sat an extra 32.3% days since whenever, but that does not necessarily equate to hours worked or productivity. There is also an argument about the two roles that Deputies play, first as messengers from their constituents who elected them, and second as legislators. The roles are intertwined but are often at odds. The trend seems to be that the days of the week when the Dáil does not sit are being eaten into by extending sittings to Friday and including sittings on a Monday which squeezes the other half of the work of Deputies. That impacts not only on the ability of Deputies to do that work but also on their personal life. A balance needs to be struck. The more we move towards full Friday and Monday sittings the greater the impact.

I have several practical proposals which I do not believe require the endorsement of the Dáil reform committee but if that is necessary then so be it. One is a simple change, to ensure that the headphones in this Chamber are discreet. If I speak as Gaeilge people do not put on the headphones because to do so would embarrass them by announcing to the world that they do not know Irish. The introduction of discreet headphones would be a simple change and does not require approval by a committee. Another simple change would be to install an abstain button. If one does not vote for or against a proposal one declares that one is not here. There are occasions when Opposition Members wish to abstain. I have not seen Government Members caught in that bind. I have been making this proposal for several years but because it does not fall under the scope of changes to Standing Orders it falls by the wayside.

Simultaneous publication of the explanatory memorandum of a Bill in Irish would provide the terminology associated with the Bill. The Minister for Social Protection said that it would happen or that at the very least she would consider it. I have argued for years that Bills should be published simultaneously in English and in Irish but it would be a step forward if the explanatory memorandum at the very least were published in Irish. Will the Minister of State consider that proposal?

I have submitted a detailed list of my Dáil reform proposals. I do not suggest that they are the be-all and end-all but I will argue the case in each one. Will it be possible in the future to have enough time between Government proposals and their implementation to consider their practicalities because in the case of some recent proposals the practicalities and the timeframe for implementation left a lot to be desired? I will leave it at that but I might come back in at a later stage when other Deputies have finished their contributions.

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