Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil supports this Bill. However, as the Minister has explained, it is essentially a stopgap piece of legislation while the position of Clerk of the Dáil is resolved. Unfortunately, it does not reflect very well on the day-to-day running of the Dáil, and it is vital that the independence and the integrity of the Oireachtas are fully maintained in appointing such a critical member of staff on a permanent basis.

As the Minister explained, the Government is facing a by-election to the Seanad to replace the recently elected MEP, Deirdre Clune. This by-election cannot take place until the functions of the Clerk are adequately filled, which this legislation will achieve. The Bill does raise the question of why the Government is prevaricating on appointing a person to the permanent position of Clerk of the Dáil. The key issue at stake is what is the best system to attract and appoint key members of staff to run the Oireachtas. It is essential that this appointment be made, that it be brought to a conclusion and that we have an open Oireachtas where we can have open accountability and maybe meet the demands the Government placed on itself when it said, among many other things, that it would have a democratic revolution.

Fianna Fáil supports an open and transparent process, with the final appointment ultimately being passed by the Dáil. This will ensure a broad pool of talent is drawn into the Oireachtas with fresh ideas and experience. I know the Government stated previously that it will utilise the Top Level Appointments Committee, TLAC, system to appoint the positions in the future, but it has not taken action in this regard. The TLAC incorporates nomination by boards comprising a majority of members from the private sector with specific skills in management and human resources.

That format provides considerable opportunities for new blood to be introduced into organisations throughout the public service. This has been mirrored by the introduction by the Government of a senior public service mobility programme. The precedent has been set in the Houses of the Oireachtas Service at assistant secretary level. The use of such a system should be subject to a vote of the House to ensure the role of elected Members is not diminished and the Government is not able to exploit the process for its own benefit.

The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has backed the proposal for a new, open process to underpin future opportunities and I implore the Minister in his final days to move on this issue among many others.

In the meantime, the Bill will help to ensure the Oireachtas can function effectively in the absence of a permanent Clerk of the Dáil. This should not be used by the Government as an excuse for inaction on the substantive issue or in bringing forward a new suitable process for such a high level appointment. We support the Bill but we want to be loud and clear that it is stopgap legislation. A new system should be introduced for the appointment to be made on a permanent basis in order that the Parliament can be run effectively and not be faced with having to pass legislation such as this to get over the hump that exists because of the prevarication over a long number of months. We support the legislation and its intent.

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