Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I move:

That, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders—(a) a Special Committee (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’) is hereby appointed, to be joined with a Special Committee to be appointed by Seanad Éireann, to form the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution to—

(i) consider the Citizens’ Assembly report and recommendations on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution; and

(ii) report to both Houses of the Oireachtas, in accordance with paragraph (i);

(b) the Citizens’ Assembly shall, as soon as is practicable after it adopts its report, forward same to the Clerks of both Houses, who shall arrange for it to be laid before both Houses, whereupon the report shall stand referred to the Joint Committee;

(c) the Committee shall not exceed 16 members of Dáil Éireann as follows:

(i) five members appointed by the Government,

(ii) four members appointed by Fianna Fáil,

(iii) two members appointed by Sinn Féin, and

(iv) one member each appointed by the Labour Party, the Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit (AAA-PBP), Independents 4 Change, the Rural Independent Group, and the Social Democrats–Green Party Group;

(d) the Ceann Comhairle shall announce the names of the members appointed under paragraph (c) for the information of the Dáil on the first sitting day following their appointment;

(e) the quorum of the Joint Committee shall be eight, at least one of whom shall be a member of the Dáil, and one a member of the Seanad;

(f) the Joint Committee shall elect one of its members to be Chairman;

(g) the Joint Committee may meet in advance of receipt of the report from the Citizens’ Assembly for the purposes of electing its Chairman and making practical preparations (such as agreeing its work programme and agreeing on the specialist or technical expertise required to assist it in its work): Provided that the Joint Committee shall not embark on its consideration of the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly until the report has been referred to it under paragraph (b);

(h) the Joint Committee shall have the powers defined in Standing Order 85(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (7), (8) and (9); and

(i) the Joint Committee shall report its conclusions and recommendations to both Houses of the Oireachtas within three months of its first public meeting.