Sir, – Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl says that TDs are “not great at turning up” in the Dáil, with many days resembling “being on board the Mary Celeste” and scrutiny of legislation being “truncated” as a result (“TDs clamour to contribute to ‘sexy’ subjects in Dáil but fail to attend for ‘workhorse’ legislation, says Ceann Comhairle”, News, August 12th).
This is a very different impression to the one given by Mr Ó Fearghaíl in a previous interview with your newspaper.
Just two years ago in 2022, the Ceann Comhairle told The Irish Times that he felt that TDs and Oireachtas staff were being badly overworked, to the extent that a ludicrous suggestion to establish a second Dáil chamber was under “very active, ongoing investigation” among party leaders (“Dáil ‘second chamber’ mooted under proposals to make politics more family friendly”, News, July 26th, 2022).
Can we take it from his comments this week that this proposal has been withdrawn? Or does Mr Ó Fearghaíl think that two empty chambers are better than one?
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Legislative scrutiny in the Oireachtas has completely collapsed over the last decade, with many far-reaching pieces of legislation receiving laughable levels of scrutiny.
The most notable recent examples are the two referendums held last May, which received no meaningful scrutiny in the Dáil and which were shown to be seriously deficient once exposed to public debate during the referendum campaign.
This lack of scrutiny is not because the issues being debated are not “sexy”, to use Mr Ó Fearghaíl’s colourful phrase, but is simply a product of our absurd multiseat constituency system which pits TDs against each other at the parish pump to the neglect of their national responsibilities.
Until we have the courage to fundamentally change how we elect our TDs, the appalling standard of legislative scrutiny in the Oireachtas is bound to continue. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.