Results 1,561-1,580 of 2,551 for speaker:Pat Carey

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. The Government established a working group on Dáil reform earlier this year, comprising the Ministers for Transport and Justice Equality and Law Reform, Deputies Noel Dempsey and Dermot Ahern, Senator Dan Boyle and myself as Government Chief Whip. Proposals regarding the length of Dáil terms, the timetabling of business and...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I pay tribute to my colleagues, the other Party Whips. There has been real engagement at the meetings of the sub-committee on Dáil reform. Many of the proposals emerging are coming by way of agreement. I hope we will have another meeting in the week after the Lisbon treaty referendum to progress further the areas we discussed in July and come quickly as near as we can to agreement. My...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this issue. As he knows, the Ceann Comhairle advanced some proposals on how the matter of accountability of State agencies to the Houses of the Oireachtas could be further explored. It will be an item of discussion at our next meeting. We suggested that we would consider amending legislation to allow the tabling of questions to State agencies by Deputies....

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: Deputy Kehoe and I, and I suspect most other Members in the Chamber at present, are members of the Joint Administration Committee, which is meeting today at 12.15 p.m. The second item on its agenda is the dedicated Oireachtas TV channel. As the Deputy knows, presentations have been made by two groups on how this service could be delivered. It is recognised it is desirable that it be...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: With regard to Deputy Kehoe's question, there is nothing in An Agreed Programme for Government or elsewhere on the size of the Dáil. As I stated in reply to Deputy Stanton, issues concerning the size and composition of the Parliament, and the question of whether it should be an Assembly of one or two Chambers, ought to be explored in a very serious way. This process should not be embarked...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: In the unlikely event that Deputy Stagg finds himself on this side of the House-----

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: He might also put himself in the shoes of somebody on this side of the House and consider how he might react at that stage. I find it a bit hard to take. Deputy Stagg is a very positive contributor at sub-committee level on the issue of Dáil reform.

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: He has been a Whip and Member for much longer than I have been and I hope he will be a Member for quite a number of years.

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: The Deputy should hold on. Over the summer period, the staff working with the committee were working on revised Standing Orders in the areas where agreement had been reached or where we were close to achieving agreement. I already addressed the issue of the questions to agencies and written parliamentary questions by Members of the Dáil on other issues. There is agreement on those and it...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I am simply telling the Deputy what is on the record. I repeat my earlier comments on State agencies. The proposals of the Ceann Comhairle concerning the examination of one or two of those State agencies to establish how a mechanism could be found to have questions replied in written form in the House should be explored. Some progress was made with the HSE and the National Roads Authority...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I agree with Deputy Ó Caoláin that this House must do everything it can to reassure the electorate which put us here that everything we do is being done in the public interest and no other. In respect of the issue of committees, I agree with Deputy Ó Caoláin. Allowances to Chairs have been cut in half and allowances to Vice-Chairs and convenors have been abolished and, as I understand...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: On the quality of replies, at a meeting earlier this year a representative from the Office of the Information Commissioner spoke on the broader issue of freedom of information, FOI, inquiries. Some Members complained, as Deputy Barrett has mentioned, that the quality of the information was not adequate. We have been talking about how we can have a better way of dealing with Question Time...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I agree and nobody has any difficulty in principle with the Deputy's comments. However, the timeframe for submitting the detail required for all the information is relatively short. We must consider the matter and I am very conscious of the fact that we need to provide far better quality information everywhere we can. We have been trying to explore other issues. We have questions to the...

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I am simply trying to answer the questions I have been asked.

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I do not regard it as being a Fianna Fáil or a Government proposal. If we cannot come forward with an agreed proposal, there is no point in doing anything. It has been stated that the Government is trying to protect itself. It could be said that the Opposition is trying to gain some further advantage. If matters continue in this vein, we will never get anywhere.

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: There is a need for an agreed package of reforms and that is what I am hoping to bring forward.

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: I hope to introduce these reforms as soon as possible following the Christmas recess.

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: There is no truth in the rumour that there is any kind of revolt within Fianna Fáil in respect of this or any other issue. We are quite united.

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: That sounds like Deputy Bannon.

Oireachtas Reform. (23 Sep 2009)

Pat Carey: Deputy Stagg referred to the work of the CPP.