Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the committee, which worked on a cross-party basis to produce a document of great substance. That substance is clear for all to see. The comments from Deputies who welcomed and scrutinised it were welcome. The review period of one year is worthwhile and useful.

In the broader context, Deputy Jim Daly's remarks have much merit. The public has made a demand for political reform, including of the Dáil. In my few weeks as a Deputy, I have had the pleasure and pride of representing my area and of opening the doors of this great institution to allow people in to see the work that we do, including that which does not come across in the media as it should. We all work very hard, but communicating that to the public is sometimes difficult. That the people whom I have brought to the Oireachtas have acknowledged the amount of work that we do and how hard the Dáil works everyday is incredible. Through these reforms, we can continue that work but in a visibly more cohesive way. They will have an impact by making politics more accessible to people as well as more professional and businesslike. The proposed timetable will make it easier for parliamentarians to define their workloads and divide their work between the representative side of politics, which is a fact of life for Deputies, and the parliamentary side of politics, which is why we are in the Dáil and seek election.

I welcome the budgetary oversight committee. It is necessary and worthwhile and follows on from the OECD report on budgetary oversight by Parliament that was produced in autumn 2015 and effectively recommended the precise path that we are pursuing. We will have a more European way of deciding budgets. There will be fewer big bang and red briefcase moments, or red CDs as is now the case, and more scrutiny, oversight and collaboration from all sides of the House in putting together budgets and examining how each Department intends to spend. This should be welcomed by all sides.

The increased importance of committees is a fact of this Dáil. That this matter is amply covered in the document is also important. The use of exclusive committee time underscores committees' increased importance and means that people will not be moving between them and the Dáil Chamber and can instead devote their attention and time to committees. This is worthwhile.

It is useful to have a defined period for votes. The time-slot of 45-minute or thereabouts on Thursday, starting at 12:45 p.m., is in the European mould, whereby the European Parliament effectively has all of its votes in one block. That is probably the best way to handle matters if we want a more professional and businesslike Parliament. It is what the public want to see. They want Deputies to focus on the work at hand and, as Deputy Jim Daly stated, more robust debates. Given the fact that this is an 158-person Chamber, there is little scope for interaction and back-and-forth debates. In a committee environment, though, there is more scope for same and to scrutinise the nitty-gritty. With more committees and a greater focus on them, that can be achieved. It will produce good policy-focused outcomes for the Parliament and the public at large. This can only be welcome.

The ability to abstain from votes is touched on in the document. There has been a great deal of focus on this and abstaining will be useful in this Parliament, but there will also be an ability to attach a note or state a reason for a given vote.

Context can always be helpful and understanding the reason a person votes in a particular way can absolutely be helpful. For parliamentarians, it is useful. It is important that we be seen as thinking parliamentarians, as people who think about their votes and who have reasons for voting the way they do. Being able to record reasons is an absolutely welcome and useful step in this regard.

The ability to have two rounds of parliamentary questions answered during the summer recess will be helpful. Although the summer recess means a slowing down of business to some extent, the business of people's lives does not stop, nor do their questions on certain matters. Therefore, being able to submit a parliamentary question and receive an answer during the summer recess, however long it may be, is useful. I certainly welcome this.

The publication of deferred replies feeds the appetite for greater transparency and scrutiny. This is one aspect of the document that has not really been touched on in the media, but it is worthwhile mentioning it.

I thank the sub-committee for its work. The document is tremendous. It has been drawn up with cross-party support. A great deal of time and effort was devoted to it by Deputies on all sides and this should be commended. I welcome the changes proposed. Like Deputy Lisa Chambers, I welcome the fact that a review is to be carried out in a year. We have no time to rest on our laurels and as good as the document is, its recommendations may not work entirely as envisioned. I welcome the document and the ability to review it. Once again, I thank the sub-committee.

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