Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to the effect that the Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill be placed on the Order Paper and be taken before No. 1.

I support Senator Darragh O'Brien on the subject of EU scrutiny. We welcome the move in respect of direct flights from Canada to Ireland. The initiative in respect of the latter was started by the Canadian ambassador, who worked with the Dublin Airport Authority and others on it. Trade between countries increases 45-fold when direct connections are established. The development to which I refer must therefore be welcomed. The Leader has worked hard to ensure better scrutiny of EU legislation. The simple fact is, however, that for every one law passed by the Dáil and the Seanad, three are brought into effect by Ministers without ever being referred to either House or to the committees thereof. This was the position with regard to the organ donation legislation. The latter, the first legislation of its kind in the history of the State, was brought in by the Minister for Health and no one had sight of it before he signed it into Irish law. The Minister and his officials made all of the amendments and additions to the legislation, which was not referred to the Select Sub-Committee on Health. No person elected to office by the people of Ireland, other than the Minister for Health, saw that legislation before it was signed into law. That is not the process about which we are arguing now. Literally, what we are being asked to do today is to rubber-stamp something on which the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality has not yet even issued a report in the context of any concerns it may harbour. Neither has the joint committee put forward any amendments to the legislation or offered any suggestions about how the process might work better. We are being asked to rubber-stamp what is proposed, although I suppose that is a great deal better than what happens in the case of three out of every four laws in this country, which are implemented by Ministers acting alone. If this were happening in a country in the Middle East, Africa or Asia, we might be discussing whether the UN should go in to assist that poor democracy in which most laws are made by Ministers. Unfortunately, what I am referring to is happening here on this Government's watch, and it also happened on those of previous Administrations. The powers available to Ministers are extraordinary. I ask the Leader to accept the amendment to the Order of Business that I have proposed.