Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the three Deputies for their contributions to this debate. Some of the matters raised will be the subject of discussion in the next Parliament because we are in the final phase of this particular Oireachtas.

There are a number of points to which I wish to refer briefly. On legal fees, I very strongly underscore the point made by Deputy Fleming. We must be very careful that we have control in the Houses of the Oireachtas in terms of legal fees and that perhaps we would tender on a competitive basis for it.

Deputy Fleming also made a very valid point about staff integration. It is an issue I had not considered. There is no aim in terms of training and upskilling and there should be a more integrated system. That is something we can put on the agenda for whoever happens to be here the next time. None of us can be certain of that.

The election of the Ceann Comhairle is an issue that was raised previously. I am no lawyer although the place is full of lawyers, but since the Constitution provides that all sittings of Dáil Éireann shall be in public, I am not sure it is possible to have a secret vote, because we are talking about the sitting of Dáil Éireann and I do not know whether it would be constitutional to do that, as it is the first action under the Constitution. I would need legal guidance on that.

I am very sympathetic in terms of the commission membership, a point made by Deputy McLellan and Deputy Catherine Murphy. We need to have a mechanism that allows the new commission to be as representative as possible of the Houses because there are real powers devolved to the commission and that again is something that will be raised in the next Dáil.

In terms of staffing for Independent Members, I am sympathetic to the point of a co-ordination of such Members, but a point all of my colleagues on the Government side of the House make, and in fact colleagues in parties on the opposite side of the House make as well, is that each Independent Deputy gets a significant sum of money that individual Members of parties do not get and they could devote that to structuring whatever supports they need. That is a valid point because-----

See this speech in context