Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

Like others, I ask the Leader to organise a debate on the issue of pilot training. How did the Irish Aviation Authority give a clean bill of health to the company concerned a few months ago?

I renew my call for a debate on repairing the democratic deficit. Last week, we saw the democratically elected Údarás na Gaeltachta being abolished. We hear town councils are to be got rid of and county councillors throughout the country will see their numbers reduced. The number of Dáil Deputies is to be reduced and the future of the Seanad is in doubt. When, under the Lisbon treaty, 139 pieces of proposed legislation were sent to the parliaments of member states, 428 submissions were made by those parliaments but Ireland only managed to make one submission. The former Joint Committee on European Scrutiny estimated that 75% of Irish legislation is made by Ministers signing statutory instruments to give effect to EU legislation and is not debated here, in the Dáil or in committees.

For example, we have had four years in which to bring the EU organ transplantation regulation into Irish law. The four years will be up in August. The Minister will sign this into Irish law as he heads out the door for the summer. Organ transplantation is a serious issue but no one in this House or in the Dáil can even get a draft of the legislation. When the Minister signs the document it will become law and we will not see it.

How many times does that happen in a given year? It happens about 150 times. The Seanad passes 50 Bills a year but there is no mechanism to debate this measure or other such issues.

I ask the Leader to organise a debate on repairing the democratic deficit. It is clear to anyone that the system is not working if a law on such an important matter as organ transplantation can be passed without a word of debate in the Houses of the Oireachtas.