Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It not agreed. On No. 4a, the terms of reference for dealing with the eighth amendment of the Constitution, the Ceann Comhairle will be aware, as will the Chief Whip, there was quite a debate about this at the Business Committee and our representative, Deputy Boyd Barrett, indicated that we disagreed with the disallowing of substitution on this committee and sought a debate on it. We would like this House to debate that change of Standing Orders, not least because it has quite a serious impact on the extent to which new politics applies in this House because it will hit Senators and Deputies who have a track record of fighting on the issue of abortion rights and for a pro-repeal stance disproportionately as against the way it will affect the larger parties. Some of the larger parties struggled to find people to sit on that committee.

On an obvious point, substitution needs to be allowed because a Member could become ill, have a family disaster or fall under a bus and need to have a substitute on the committee. This issue is not so simple as the Business Committee portrays it to be. There should be room for a debate in the House, otherwise what does new politics mean if we cannot reflect it in terms of how we deal with this issue? Members of the Civic Engagement group in the Seanad are also very concerned about it.

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