Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government has a section dealing with political reform and the Government indicates "we will legislate on the issue of cabinet confidentiality". The Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013 has a provision at section 86 precluding an Oireachtas committee from seeking evidence about Cabinet decisions and discussions. Some may say this is in accordance with Article 28 of the Constitution but section 71 of the Act, for some reason, also precludes questions being asked about Cabinet discussions. This is the Act used in setting up the banking inquiry. For some reason the Government specifically inserted a provision to prevent questions being asked about Cabinet discussions, which one might think is central to many of the issues, and to which many people would like to contribute. Was this intended in the programme for Government when it stated "we will legislate on the issue of cabinet confidentiality"? Will the Taoiseach outline what was meant by the inclusion of that provision in the programme for Government or why was it inserted?

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