THE DÁIL will meet in plenary session today, following the four-week break for the Christmas recess. The agenda is far less formidable than it was in the last session when Brian Cowen’s Coalition Government faced into a challenging 100 days which could have seen it fall on any of the big hurdles: the Lisbon Treaty referendum, the establishment of the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) and the Budget. The Government will reap the consequences of its decision-making, for good or ill, in the coming weeks and months. A tough time still lies ahead.
On the day it rose for the Christmas recess, legislation to fund the Houses of the Oireachtas for the next three years was passed. The cost was €360 million, involving a cut of 8.5 per cent. What the legislation did not say was that staff numbers at Leinster House had grown by 43 per cent over the previous five years and expenditure by 65 per cent. It caused Richard Bruton of Fine Gael to question the rise in administrative costs, when the number of politicians had remained static, and to demand changes in the way public money was accounted for and spent. Nothing happened.
Before the December Budget, the Government had no option but to demand savings, efficiencies and changes in work practices from public service workers. That reflected the harsh financial realities facing the State. At the same time, Ministers’ pay fell; the number of ministers of state was reduced and Oireachtas expenses and allowances were cut. However, these changes were largely cosmetic and did not address issues of fundamental parliamentary reform.
Attention will focus on financial matters in the new Dáil session. Legislation affecting the Central Bank, including its regulatory and other functions, will be debated. The Finance Bill will be published. Nama is expected to take centre-stage. Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan is due to reveal the Government’s intentions in relation to a banking inquiry today. The outline of the Government’s legislative programme will also be published. It is an extensive, but uninspiring, agenda.
A failure to inspire confidence and provide leadership has bedevilled this Government. Fianna Fáil members have been too long in office and are set in their ways. For years, they ignored reports from the National Competitiveness Council - representing employers and trade unions - that warned about a growing loss of competitiveness. The consequences have landed back in Merrion Street.
The latest NCC report provides a basic strategy. First, deal with unemployment through education and training programmes; second, encourage competition and local innovation in order to expand exports and, third, broaden the tax base by way of a property tax. The measures identified will not be popular with everyone. But government should not be about popularity alone, as citizens of this State found to their cost. Planned public sector militancy, in the absence of social partnership, will focus much greater attention on the Dáil in the coming months.