Dempsey clashes with TDs over Dáil questions

MINISTER FOR Transport Noel Dempsey has accused some Dáil deputies of “a scandalous abuse of the parliamentary question system”. Mr Dempsey was in turn accused of showing “the scandalous arrogance displayed by any Minister in this House, from the Taoiseach down”.

The exchange came during an Oireachtas committee debate on the Dublin Transport Authority Bill yesterday, when Mr Dempsey was accused by Opposition spokesmen Fergus O’Dowd (FG) and Tommy Broughan (Lab) of setting up “another non-accountable body like the HSE, the Road Safety Authority . . . or the NRA”.

They both insisted the Minister amend the new Bill to state that the new authority would be responsible to the Minister. This would allow Opposition politicians to pose parliamentary questions on the operation of State agencies to the relevant Minister. However, Mr Dempsey insisted he was not responsible for the day-to-day operation of such bodies and he did not believe “micro managing” them or “constantly looking over their shoulders” would be helpful.

He took exception to parliamentary questions from deputies “when they could lift the phone or write” directly to the agencies concerned. The Minister mentioned a question from Mr O’Dowd about driving test pass rates which were available from the RSA. “If he tells me he asked the RSA . . .” he said before Mr O’Dowd accused him of scandalous arrogance, adding; “Parliamentary questions are the bastion of democracy”.

Mr O’Dowd said it was the Minister who set a target to reduce waiting lists and he was entitled to ask him about this. He added that responses from agencies were curt, while Mr Dempsey’s department was one of the “worst” for resisting requests for information.