OPINION:As a serving member I believe that reform of the Oireachtas is long overdue, writes JIMMY DEVINS
RECENT EVENTS in Sligo-North Leitrim have served to highlight the importance of mutual interdependence between the back benches and the front bench in a political party, particularly in a government political party.
I was elected to represent the interests and wishes of the people in my constituency. Those interests and wishes are overwhelmingly in favour of the retention of breast cancer services in Sligo General Hospital. I firmly believe personally, professionally and politically that these services should not be transferred to Galway.
I and my party colleague , Eamon Scanlon, did all within our power to persuade the Taoiseach to reverse the decision of the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, advised as she is by Tom Keane. Our heartfelt representations were apparently not considered valid.
Patients, who have already been traumatised by their diagnosis, will have to make the increasingly long journey to Galway in all weathers, in bleak transport, to undergo treatment which can be administrated close to their homes in a hospital of expertise and excellence and in warm humane surroundings.
Those who have described my resignation from the Fianna Fáil party whip as meaningless or hypocritical fail to recognise my belief in the ideals of Fianna Fáil. To step aside from the whip, and my parliamentary colleagues, is painful and isolating. I have been involved with Fianna Fáil all my life, and have served for two terms in local government, and since 2002, for two terms as a TD. My decision to resign the whip is momentous and reflects the seriousness with which I view this Government decision and my belief that it is wrong.
Ireland is in the middle of an economic crisis which is causing hardship for many of its citizens. At this time it is only appropriate that a thorough evaluation of our public institutions and agencies should be carried out. Since it is government which ultimately makes the decisions which affect people’s lives that evaluation should start with government, its institutions and its constituent parts – the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
As a serving member of the Dáil I believe strongly that reform of the Oireachtas is long overdue. The election process of both TDs and senators should be reviewed. The nature of the work actually done by members of the Oireachtas should be clearly articulated and analysed. The day-to-day operation of the Dáil in particular, and the true relationship between it and the government of the day should be examined.
Many of the procedures and practices of the Dáil owe more to tradition than to the practical realities of doing the business of the national parliament.
We elect our TDs by the proportional representation method. It has served the country well and I do not believe there is any great public appetite for change A case can, however, be made for a reduction in the number of TDs, as we have (by European standards) a high proportion of members of parliament relative to the overall population.
A reduction in the number of TDs would have the immediate beneficial effect of a reduction in the cost of the Dáil.It cannot be hoped that this proposal would be warmly welcomed by either sitting or aspirant TDs. It has been shown that approximately 30 per cent of Dáil seats change at each general election. A reduction in the number of seats would, of course, increase the difficulty in achieving election but would, I suggest, indicate a true desire to “share the pain” of the casualties of the economic downturn.
Any analysis of the work of a TD would show that a considerable proportion of it is related to dealings with local authorities (eg planning, housing, roads, water and sewerage issues) and local concerns. These are the bread and butter matters dealt with in the TD’s local office. Although it can be argued that most of this work falls within the remit of local representatives and county councillors, in the real world of Irish politics it would be foolhardy for any TD to ignore this work on behalf of the electorate.
On a national level, TDs have a duty to introduce legislation and discuss issues that affect the country. Some would argue that the national parliament should only concern itself with national issues but that is to ignore the realities of political life in Ireland.
A strengthening of the powers of local politicians and a clearer demarcation in the role of national and local politicians in relation to their functions and areas of responsibility might address some of the overlap and duplication which occurs.
In Ireland, all of our cabinet members are selected from the Oireachtas, the vast majority coming from the Dáil. There are certain portfolios (at both senior and junior level) which would benefit from having a person with expert knowledge of the sector in the position, and this would also result in a reduction in the plethora of special advisers and consultants who cost the exchequer so dearly.
Many European countries operate a variation of a list system which allows people with specific expertise in different areas to be members of government without having to directly contest elections. Some variant of this list system is surely worthy of consideration.
The need for a second parliamentary chamber is a topic of intense interest. I believe there is a need for a Seanad (or second chamber) where legislation passed by the Dáil can be vigorously analysed. However, the method of selection of the senators urgently needs reform. The electorate is much too small and needs to be broadened out considerably. There is no justifiable reason why all graduates of degree level from our universities and institutes of technology should not have the right to participate in the election of our university senators. Likewise, the maintenance of three seats for the exclusive preserve of the University of Dublin is archaic.
The role of nominating bodies needs to be revisited. There are far too many of them. Those with a common area of interest should be amalgamated and should be able to elect one senator directly by the votes of the active members of the professions involved. The senator elected should be an active member of the group he/she represents. The election of a number of senators by public representatives should continue but with a reduced number of seats and by direct election without panels. The direct nomination by the taoiseach of some senators should continue as this would ensure that the passage of Bills is connected with the will of the Dáil.
The timetable of the Dáil has remained the same for some time. It is not a family-friendly place to work in and must be very difficult for those members who have young families. The hours of normal Dáil sittings should be re-evaluated. The efficiency of the House generally can be improved. A lot of time, for example, could be saved by restricting the time slot available to speakers at second stage debate from 20 minutes to 10 minutes. This would allow for more topical issues to be debated fully.
There is a vital need for greater interaction between government and all TDs in the House. This need for communication has never been greater than at the present moment. It is worth remembering that no man or woman (or small group) have a monopoly of wisdom and all members of the Dáil should be able to have an input, in a constructive way, to helping us out of the current difficulties.
Party politics are important but too often in the recent past the behaviour of some TDs has been more concentrated on scoring political points than on dealing with the extremely difficult situation the country is facing.
Although the Constitution (Article 28.4.1) states that the government is responsible to the Dáil, in reality government controls the Dáil, through the support mainly of its party backbenchers, but the price of that support is that their views should be considered in formulating policy. If those views are ignored, the entire ethos of democracy is eroded.
The Dáil needs to be more responsive to the people of Ireland. We live in unprecedented times and reform of the Oireachtas must result in an institution that is equipped to deal with life in the 21st century.
Jimmy Devins, who resigned the Fianna Fáil whip this week in protest at the government’s cancer strategy, is a TD for the Sligo-Leitrim constituency