Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----but the independence of the Parliament and the power individual parliamentarians should have, working in tandem with the Government. I do not believe an independent parliament would be an irresponsible one. We have had legislative deadlines to meet in the past due to the programme for Government. A parliament with more powers would be more responsible, arguably, because it would be more conscious of those powers and the work it would need to do in tandem with the Government, so the country could be managed.

Another important reform to the committee system would allow Members to table their own amendments to legislation, as well as voting in support of them. This would loosen the Whip on Committee Stage for those putting down amendments to legislation. Many ideas by Government backbenchers on legislation are dealt with in the back room and brought in through Government amendments. However, if we want to reform people’s ideas of parliament and Deputies, as well as moving away from the clientelist system, Government backbenchers, in particular, should be allowed to do that work in the open. They should be allowed to propose amendments on Committee Stage, debate it, seek support for it and vote for it. It does not mean necessarily they would have to support that amendment on a later Stage because they have a responsibility as a Government Deputy to support the legislation. Such a reform on Committee Stage, however, would encourage parliamentarians to legislate and get into the nuts and bolts of Bills. I accept it happens in the background but more of it should happen in the open in committees and this Chamber. As Senators sit on committees too, it would be a reform that would extend to the Seanad as well.

These are two simple reforms, not about removing the Whip but loosening it. They would greatly improve the role and responsibilities of parliamentarians in this Chamber. As a result, those reforms would flow down to the Seanad as well. There are many more reforms we could introduce in such a manner which would impact on the Dáil in the first instance and also improve the Seanad. That is the work we should be doing at the moment. We should focus on how to improve this Chamber further in the context of last year’s referendum and knowing that reforms introduced to this Chamber would also impact on the second House of the Oireachtas.

I will not be supporting this Bill.

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