Opposition criticises restricted Friday sittings

Opposition parties sharply criticised the restricted nature of Friday Dáil sittings.The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, said that while he welcomed the Friday sittings, the schedule should include an Order of Business and the right of deputies to call votes.

"The Taoiseach is not here again today, and most of the Ministers are not," he added.

The Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, said that Friday sittings had crept in "to take the bare look off the paucity of days this Government dictates that the Dáil sits." While Labour was not opposed to Friday sittings, they were meaningless where there was no Order of Business, no adjournment debates, no divisions, and no opportunity to challenge the Government.

"It is entirely meaningless and as my colleague, Deputy Emmet Stagg, has pointed out on a number of occasions, it is a new sanitised form of the Dáil being seen to be in session but with no opportunity to function as a parliament," said Mr Rabbitte. "It is a further step in the erosion of the status of Dáil Éireann vis-a-vis the executive and the Government. It is really disgraceful."

Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West) suggested that the House needed a "protection of democracy Bill" similar to the Protection of the Environment Bill, which the House would later debate.

The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, claimed the Dáil was operating as a closed shop. "The shop window is open for viewing, but, effectively, no business is being carried out," he added.

Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) said the reality of the Friday sittings was that "those of us who will engage in debate on the Protection of the Environment Bill might as well be standing at Speaker's Corner in London."

Very few members, other than those directly engaged in the legislation, would be present, he added.

"There will be an exodus from this building this evening in the normal course," said Mr Ó Caoláin. "The reality is that will be replicated on each of the subsequent two Fridays."

He said he not only objected to the absolute unacceptability of the approach to Friday sittings, "but I reaffirm once again the absolute unacceptability of the means of conduct of Thursday sittings where the Taoiseach has been facilitated in his absence from, and accountability to, this House by more than just the Government parties, much to the discredit of those who entered into a shoddy deal to allow for his absence."

This was a reference to a deal done between the Government and Labour allowing the Taoiseach to be absent from Thursday's Order of Business in return for the party taking precedence over the technical group.

The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, who was taking the Order of Business, said the length of time the Taoiseach gave to the House was a well-established fact. "Four hours per week," observed Mr Kenny.

Mr Smith urged deputies to look at the time taken on the Order of Business.

"We would have a lot more time for legislation if we conducted business properly on the Order of Business," he added.