Researching the new archive on the Oireachtas website which, in 720 million words, gives all the debates from 1919 to 1997, Quidnunc discovered that the official reporters, or Hansard notetakers to use the British term, have increased from 14 (10 years ago) to 35. It is not just the new committees that necessitate more staff; it is because high-speed shorthand writers (with speeds of 140 to 180 words a minute, training up to 200, over 10-minute takes) can no longer be found. "They are a dead breed," said Liam Fitzgibbon, the editor of debates. "We had three exams in quick succession in the early 1990s and reduced the speed to 120 words, but we weren't able to find reporters with speed, knowledge of current affairs and English." So since 1998, all the Dβil, Seanad and committee debates are recorded and then transcribed. In the past, the 14 notetakers dictated their notes to typists; now one person does all. Shortly, a digital recording system will allow the option of working at home. Fitzgibbon, himself a dab hand at the shorthand, says Garret FitzGerald was the fastest and by far the most difficult to take, followed closely in speed by the late Paddy McGilligan and the late John Kelly.
The archive website (www.oireachtas.ie) was launched recently by the Ceann Comhairle, Seamus Pattison, and the Cathaoirleach, Brian Mullooly. The former was full of praise for the official reporters but also sounded a note of warning. "Shorthand reporting," he said, "goes back to ancient times and was among the most hazardous of professions in Rome, where in the early 3rd century, the emperor Severus went so far as to command that any shorthand writer reporting a court case and making a mistake 'should have the tendons of his right hand severed and be banished from the empire for life'. There is no record of such drastic punishment being meted out to the reporting staff of the Houses, but then again we have not had any reports of errors." The new site can find all references, once a name or subject is entered.
Quidnunc wanted to discover, but failed, who has delivered the longest speech and the shortest since 1919. She wonders if there is anything to equal a Westminster MP who, having been forced to listen to some six hours of waffle which dragged on into the early hours, was then called by the Speaker to reply. "Ditto," he said.