Fianna Fáil will today continue its exercise of listening to backbenchers' proposals for future party policy after a lengthy meeting yesterday on social policy areas.
Several dozen backbenchers made policy suggestions to Ministers at a 41/2-hour meeting yesterday in Leinster House.
The meeting was the second of four special policy meetings of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party organised in response to discontent expressed by backbenchers who felt their voice was not heard by Cabinet.
While a group of backbenchers had initially wanted to set up a committee run by themselves, they agreed to the Taoiseach's proposal for these four meetings which, he said, would allow them have an input into policy and into the party's next general election manifesto.
Government chief whip Tom Kitt said last night that some "good specific ideas" had come out of yesterday's meeting and the first such meeting last week.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said she believed some of these would be incorporated in the party's election manifesto for next year, but said she would not give details of some "particularly good ones".
Some 60 backbenchers attended yesterday's meeting, close to two-thirds of the Fianna Fáil TDs who do not hold ministerial office.
Several backbenchers said afterwards that the meeting had been constructive and straightforward, and that there was no rancour or discord on any point.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Séamus Brennan, Ms Hanafin and Minister of State responsible for children Brian Lenihan each opened discussions on their policy areas. Their contributions were short, according to Mr Kitt, allowing for maximum time for backbenchers to speak.
There were so many speakers that the fourth policy area, justice, was postponed to today's meeting which is to discuss quality of life issues including sport, tourism, the environment and community affairs.
The first meeting took place last week and focused on economic issues.
The final meeting, on rural affairs, takes place next week.
A rapporteur has been appointed from the backbenches for each meeting, and they will present separate reports to the annual two-day residential Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting in September.
Ms Hanafin said that in each of yesterday's policy discussions "social justice, deprived groups, the elderly and the plight of people on the margins of society was a theme right through".
In her own area of education, the issue of how to deal with multiculturalism was raised by several speakers. TDs and senators spoke of the relatively new ethnic diversity in the State's schools and the need for education policies to cope with that.
Several also said housing developers should be obliged to provide extensions or extra classrooms for local schools when the effect of them building significant numbers of new houses in an area would put pressure on existing schools.
A number of people also raised the increasing awareness of mental health problems suffered by young people, including the issue of suicide.
Mr Kitt said that in the contributions on social welfare policy, a number of speakers said that the party had a tradition of being seen as generous to the elderly, and that this should be built upon in future policy.
"Several said that there was a need for medical assessors to be more understanding when carrying out assessments of people with disabilities", the results of which will determine the assistance they get.
The issue of access by public patients to private health facilities was also raised, said Mr Kitt. "In Waterford there is a private hospital opening which is soon to provide radiotherapy services. People believed those services should be available to public patients."
The same applied to a private kidney dialysis facility in Kilkenny. "It would be a Fianna Fáil theme to give available care to those who need it."
Ms Hanafin said she believed yesterday's meeting was more focused on national policy issues than had been the one that took place last week. Very few people had sought to raise local constituency issues, but were focused on national policy for the next general election.