David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State's speech and the report of the sub-Committee on Dáil Reform. It has been published and we have had time to examine it and take statements on it. We have had false dawns on Dáil and Seanad reform and new politics. People have heard it all before and will want to see how it works out in practice. There is a responsibility on all of us, in government and opposition, to make the new politics work and ensure whatever reforms we agree to are implemented, not just as words in a document but also in deed. I welcome the opportunity and the many positive proposals made in the reform report.

While my party and I have long argued for smaller parties and technical groups to have as much speaking time as possible, we must protect the integrity of political parties. We put ourselves forward as members of parties and receive our mandate as a party, whereas Independents do not put themselves forward as members of parties. There is a difference between political parties and Independents. While I support Independents coalescing in a technical way to get more speaking time, it must not infringe on or diminish the speaking time available to and the opportunities in the Dáil of political parties which are elected in a different way, as we seek to support, as best we can, smaller parties and the number of technical groups which might emerge from the new dispensation. This is especially true in the case of Leaders' Questions. All of the main Opposition parties must be able to ask questions of the Taoiseach every day when the Dáil sits. This applies to Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and all of the parties in government and opposition. We can disagree on where Fianna Fáil lies; we are certainly in opposition and it is right and proper that, as the lead Opposition party, our leader have the opportunity to question the Taoiseach every day there are Leaders' Questions.

I will focus on two elements of the report that will impact on my work as spokesperson on public expenditure and reform. One is the recommendation to establish a committee to examine budgetary matters, which is welcome. The Minister of State said, "No longer will the budget be a Government-only document." I am not sure I agree. While we can have an input, unless the Government is going to take on board all of the very practical, realistic, deliverable proposals which we and other groupings have put forward in the past in our alternative budgets, we will not have a budget document which has the support of everybody. We must realise and acknowledge there are political and ideological differences on economic, fiscal and budgetary policy.

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