IT WAS dubbed “the Dáil of tomorrow” and aimed at former Dáil and Seanad members. About 50 members of the Irish Parliamentary (former members) Society gathered in the Dáil chamber to discuss weighty topics including a more effective Dáil, a gender-balanced Dáil, a more efficient budgetary process and a more effective government.
And the date of their seminar was significant.
Yesterday marked the 92nd anniversary of the sitting of the first Dáil in the Mansion House.
Seán Sherwin, former Fianna Fáil national party organiser, proposed for the former members’ society that Ireland should have a national independence day and that it should be celebrated annually on January 21st.
The day started with a debate on creating a more effective Dáil and the majority of the former members opted to sit on the Government benches. The exceptions included former minister for education Dick Burke who wanted to try out the chair he held as Fine Gael whip some 40 years ago.
Former Labour minister Barry Desmond highlighted concerns about TDs’ and ministers’ wages and said TDs “should be paid the same grade as principal officers” while ministers should be on a par with departmental general secretaries and they should only get their pensions at age 60, the same as civil servants, he said. He also said there should be no more than six ministers of state.
Former Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes opposed consensus, said he preferred a good row and criticised social partnership as failing to deliver.
The gender divide was about 40 male and 10 female representatives, among the latter former minister Nora Owen who highlighted some 11 stumbling blocks for an effective Dáil including difficulties with freedom of information where civil servants have taken to using post-it notes and not writing down their views.
Former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald believed “it should be an offence for any civil servant not to record his view in writing”.
