Labour calls for 50 per cent more Dail sittings

national | miscellaneous | press release

Thursday October 30, 2003 17:54

by Johno - LP

The Labour Party has proposed increasing the Dail's sitting days by 50 per cent in what it says are the most fundamental set of reforms of the parliament ever proposed.

In a document on Oireachtas reform published this afternoon, Labour says the Dail should meet four days a week instead of three, that its summer recess should be no more than six weeks and that other holidays should fall more in line with normal working practices.

The proposals come in a week when TDs have been roundly criticised by the public and in the media for taking a week-long break just after they had returned from a long summer holiday.

Labour leader Mr Pat Rabbitte said this recent decision by the Government to break for a week seemed to encourage the view that the Dail was losing its relevance and that the people who are elected to serve "have only their own interests at heart".

However, he said he believed a lot of that criticism was "superficial and uninformed".

"The recent practice of blaming every politician for the depradations of a few is not only unfair, it is corrosive. Declining participation in election after election is a dangerous and unwelcome trend in any democracy."

Mr Rabbitte said the Dail had to modernise. "We have to adapt to the world around us. We have to accept that the people we serve are entitled to see the fruits of our work, the better to be able to make informed judgements about our performance.

"Even though it is true that much of the work of a parliamentarian - work demanded by our constituents, and work to which our constituents are entitled - is invisible, it remains the case that much of what the public sees, especially as filtered through the media, does not inspire a great deal of confidence and trust."

Labour also proposes a complete redrafting of Dail standing orders and a major programme of legislative and administrative reform to ensure greater accountability throughout the system of public administration.

The party said it would restore aspects of the Freedom of Information Act and also extend it to the Garda.

Mr Rabbitte said the party was determined the house should be a place that earns the trust and confidence of the people it represents.

The party leader said Labour was confident the measures proposed would transform the perception of Dail Eireann and "restore it to the position of public trust that is essential to our democracy".

In its reforms, which are divided into a number of categories, Labour also proposes an extension of Private Members' Time to include Government as well as opposition deputies and an extension to question time in the house.

The party also wants TDs to be allowed written questions to State agencies. It has also suggested increased television coverage of Oireachtas proceedings and that the events be streamed live on the internet.

http://www.labour.ie/press/detail.tmpl?SKU=20031030151320