Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The proposal is to delete so many provisions in the Constitution, yet there are no prescriptive measures to make alternative arrangements that have not been agreed beforehand. We know from other jurisdictions where they have one chamber that they have powerful committee structures in place and greater oversight. The Minister of State has been around long enough and will be aware that our current oversight structures are dysfunctional. This is particularly the case with European legislation. At Westminster, for example, the House of Lords scrutinises EU directives prior to Ministers signing them.

Earlier today, we had a vote on, but were not allowed to discuss, an EU directive on organ transplantation. The measure was not discussed prior to the Minister signing it either. I was informed by representatives of the Irish Kidney Association and other groups that if that EU directive had been done correctly with-----