Dail unchanged in 25 years despite reform talk, says TD

A FORMER government minister has claimed that there has been no improvement in the way the Dáil does its business in a quarter of a century.

Fine Gael TD Seán Barrett, who was first elected to the Dáil for Dún Laoghaire in 1981, said he
had heard much over the years about reform.

"I can state honestly, however, that this place is not working any better today than it was 25 years
ago, when there was no Oireachtas Commission or any of the nonsense currently taking place, with vast sums of money being spent, but getting us nowhere," he added.

Mr Barrett, who also served as a government and opposition whip, said the purpose of parliament
was to allow elected representatives to bring the concerns of the public to the attention of the executive. "That is basically what this is about, and all the rest is simply frills," he added.

Mr Barrett also said the quality of replies to parliamentary questions had deteriorated significantly. "All the scandals which have happened down through the years were a result of the inability to get
proper answers to parliamentary questions," he added.

Mr Barrett said that while he supported the work of Oireachtas committees, there were too many
of them. "Legislation is being passed in committee rooms with two people, which is not the way to do it," he added.

He said they could "afford to plough up Leinster lawn and restore it . . . and have a commission"
but could not afford a parliamentary television channel.

Government chief whip Pat Carey said there was a working group on Dáil reform, made up of
the Ministers for Transport and Justice Noel Dempsey and Dermot Ahern, Senator Dan Boyle of the
Green Party and himself. Government-approved proposals had been brought to the Oireachtas subcommittee on Dáil reform and the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, but no final
decisions were taken.

There was general agreement, said Mr Carey, that the Dáil year should be about 35 weeks and that
the House should start its business earlier on each sitting day. Mr Carey said he favoured
putting members' expenses and allowances on the Oireachtas Commission's website.

Labour chief whip Emmet Stagg said he had no faith in Fianna Fáil Government members
introducing Dáil reform. "I have been sitting opposite its members of Oireachtas committees
for 10 years and they have stonewalled and blocked every single proposal for Dáil reform,
even minor ones," he added.