Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The current Citizens' Assembly is primarily concerned with issues raised at the Constitutional Convention, the more grandly named previous Citizens' Assembly, which reported approximately five years ago. The assembly on gender equality is due to hold its first meeting in January and we wish it well in its work. This is different in that, unlike previous assemblies that dealt with issues such as the eighth amendment, among others, there is no parallel or detailed proposal for the Oireachtas to engage with the issue or the assembly's outcome. Are there any proposals for a process for considering the assembly's report?

On an administrative matter, this may be the first time a citizens' assembly is due to sit during a period a general election is likely to be held. Will the holding of the election have any particular implications for the assembly? Has it agreed to adopt the precedent of other bodies established by the Oireachtas to suspend public activity during elections?

In the years since citizens' assemblies were adopted on an all-party basis, much evidence has accumulated about what works and how best to put issues to them. Most people agree that the more specific the issue and the closer it is to a direct proposal for action, the more likely it is that the assembly will have an impact and assist in bringing an issue to a conclusion. Our position remains that assemblies should not be used to delay political action on urgent issues. Would it not be a good idea, before near permanent demands are made to put even the most uncertain and complex issues to such assemblies, to carry out a genuinely independent review of what works and the most effective means of using assemblies in the future?

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