The return of the Seanad from its 12-week summer holiday has been put off for yet another week by its Cathaoirleach Senator Rory Kiely because he is attending a conference in Geneva. Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, reports.
Opposition senators yesterday sharply criticised the extra holiday saying it undermined recent moves - led by the Leader of the House Ms Mary O'Rourke - to reform the Seanad to give it greater political relevance.
Unusually, news of the surprise delay was given to all 60 senators yesterday by Ms O'Rourke, who sent them a copy of a letter to her from Mr Kiely explaining the change of plan.
Mr Kiely expressed surprise at her move, saying it was up to him to give instructions for such a notification to be sent out.
Ms O'Rourke said yesterday she was perfectly happy with the postponement and fully accepted Mr Kiely's reasons for it.
She said claims by some senators that she was irritated by the move were entirely untrue.
In his letter to Ms O'Rourke, Mr Kiely said he would be in Geneva for the annual assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union next week.
Because of this, he did not intend to recall the Seanad until October 7th, a week later than expected.
The Seanad, which last met on July 4th, was to meet next Tuesday, September 30th, the same day as the Dáil resumes.
Under Seanad rules the Cathaoirleach is entitled to decide when the House comes back after the summer break.
He could summon it to return in his absence, but has chosen not to.
"I am the Cathaoirleach and would like to be there when it resumes", he said yesterday.
He said it was normal for the Seanad to resume a week after the Dáil, although last year it broke with this tradition and began its autumn session in the same week as the Dáil.
Senators had expected a September 30th resumption this year.
Fine Gael Senator John Paul Phelan said yesterday that, as Leader of the House, Ms O'Rourke attempted to ensure the Seanad had a higher workload than in the past, but developments such as this undermined her efforts.
The leader of the Labour Party group, Senator Brendan Ryan, said he did not think it was appropriate for the chair of either the Dáil or Seanad to be the person with sole discretion to decide when the House reassembles.
The whip of the independent group, Senator Joe O'Toole, said it was "very bad public relations for the House not to be sitting until October".
He said Oireachtas committees had been meeting in September, as had the sub-committee looking at Seanad reform, and there was no reason the Seanad itself should not have done so as well.