Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl has criticised a growing practice in the Dáil in which TDs clamour to contribute on topical or “sexy” subjects but fail to attend the House for “workhorse” but important legislation.
Mr Ó Fearghaíl described one evening in the Dáil as “like being on board the Mary Celeste”, the abandoned and deserted ship, during a debate on automatic pension enrolment legislation.
Just two parliamentarians – Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys and himself – were present.
“It was an enormously important piece of legislation that will impact positively on so many people, and in gestation for years, and yet when that final stage came up in the Dáil the Minister was there on her own.”
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He also expressed concern about the extent and quality of debates on legislation, which are more “truncated” than ever, mostly because not enough TDs show up rather than because of a guillotine, or time limit.
Mr Ó Fearghaíl was commenting following the start of the summer recess and as he moves towards the end of his second and final term as Ceann Comhairle, or speaker of the Dáil. He will not seek a third term and expects to return to the backbenches after the general election.
He said that “when something is topical and in the news and it’s a sexy sort of subject people are very happy to come in and clamour to contribute. But when it’s something like this that’s a workhorse type of initiative with a lot of benefits but not fiercely exciting, we’re not great at turning up.”
Expressing concern about the quality of Dáil debates, he compared the Dáil’s consideration of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill to the discussion on the legislation by the Council of State, the advisory group convened by President Michael D Higgins.
Mr Ó Fearghaíl said it was “really interesting” to hear the views of council members but “not one of the views expressed at the meeting were reflected in the contributions when the matter was before the Dáil”.
He said politicians “need to be more careful in terms of our scrutiny of legislation, how in-depth that scrutiny is” and “the quality of debate that we have”.
The Ceann Comhairle said: “I don’t want to be too critical of members. I think they’ve competing demands on their time but I do think that the quality and duration of debate in the House itself is more truncated now than ever before”, mainly because not enough members show up “to thoroughly debate matters”.
There is no way to compel attendance “but it is an inescapable fact” that legislation is moving more speedily through plenary sessions of the Dáil than in the past and “there are fewer members contributing”.
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