Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank colleagues from all parties and Independent Deputies for their contributions. I speak on behalf of the sub-committee, rather in my capacity as Government Whip. It was a privilege to be a member of the sub-committee. The Chairman, the Ceann Comhairle, and all members of the sub-committee invested a great deal of time and effort in its deliberations in recent weeks.

I welcome the thorough and comprehensive contributions made by all sides in this debate. It was interesting to listen to the various issues raised by the parties and Independent Deputies.

The proposals in the draft report will strengthen the foundation upon which changes will be made to the national Parliament next week or the week after and, I hope, for many years to come. This Dáil in particular will benefit greatly from many of the proposed reforms. As a result, responsibility will be shared among all elected Deputies which will, I hope, provide Ireland with a stable and inclusive Parliament. Inclusivity is just as important as stability in this regard.

As several speakers noted, there have been many attempts to reform the Dáil in recent decades. The final report on Dáil reform which will take into account the views expressed today will result in some of the most representative changes in how we do politics. This will be achieved thanks to the willingness of members of the cross-party sub-committee to work together to reach consensus, despite our differing views. This was most impressive and emphasises that while Deputies adhere to different political ideologies, we can achieve consensus on what is in the best interests of the House. It should be noted in this regard that many commentators, specifically in the media, did not believe consensus was possible. We have shown again that it is possible.

The sub-committee will meet again on Tuesday, 24 May when it will give full and deserved consideration to all of the points raised by Deputies today. We hope the meeting will conclude with the adoption of the reforms, after which changes will be made to Standing Orders in the coming weeks.

I thank my counterparts and members of the sub-committee for their dedication and commitment to ensuring that this Dáil will be stronger and more accountable and its Members more empowered than ever.

The outcome of the recent general election delivered a message to everyone elected to the Dáil that people want politics to be done in a new way. I believe we will all embrace this message. All elected Members have an interest in the issue of Dáil reform. The changes that will be made to Dáil Standing Orders in the coming weeks will provide a framework within which the House will work in the next few years and may well set the standard for decades to come. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this debate to take place and extending the time provided to facilitate all Deputies who wished to make a contribution.

See this speech in context