Dail reforms likely to be supported by Opposition

STREAMLINED voting procedures and greater powers for committees are among the 19 proposals for Dail reform approved by the Government.

The Coalition parties should be able to get most of them approved in the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, and will probably have opposition support for most.

It is proposed that TDs would be allowed to interrupt briefly while another member is speaking if the latter agrees to yield the floor, as in the British House of Commons. At present such interruptions are out of order.

The opposition would be granted financial assistance to help them draft Private Member's Bills. This would be up to £1,000 per Bill with a limit of five Bills per year.

Improvements for Question Time are also proposed, with extra time being given to Ministers on Wednesdays when the Taoiseach's questions last one hour. Ministers would no longer be able to combine ordinary and priority questions as at present, with the result that some deputies could not ask supplementaries.

A new type of debate is also proposed, with a 10 minute question and answer facility at its conclusion. This would be introduced on a trial basis initially.

There would also be more TV and radio coverage of committees. Committees may also be able to use video conferencing for some of their work. The remit of the Joint Committee on StateSponsored Bodies would be extended to include Bord Failte, Fas, Forfas, Fobairt, IDA Ireland, SFADCO, Teagasc, Udaras na Gaeltachta and the National Roads Authority.

Expressions of sympathy on the deaths of TDs or former members would be restricted to party leaders or their nominees.

It is proposed that the election of the Ceann Comhairle "should be regularised to provide for continuity in office" in the event of a new Ceann Comhairle not being elected at the first sitting.

The Fianna Fail Chief Whip, Mr Dermot Ahern, welcomed the proposals but said that some of them needed to be fleshed out before implementation.

He said there was an urgent need for a review of the committee system which had become too cumbersome due to the fact that there are now at least 22 major committees. He called for a Dail debate on this subject.