Fine Gael Proposals for

 

Oireachtas Reform

 

 

March 2009

 

 

1.      The Executive

 

• Reduce the number of Junior Ministers to 12.
• Increase the accountability channels for Ministers to the Dáil.
• Reduce ministerial staff associated with constituency matters to 2.

 

2.      Civil Service

 

• Cut and cap pay and conditions of senior management in Civil Service. 
• No special payments to be made to senior management in Civil Service or agencies arising from failure to discharge their remit.
• Provide for wider external recruitment with management skills into the civil service from the private sector at all levels.
• Modernise employment practices in the public service to take account of developments in current employment arrangements so that performance related practices can be employed.
• Facilitate flexibility in working arrangements in the public services to facilitate cross agency transfers.
• Provide protection for whistleblowers in the public service to make complaints to a dedicated statutory officer in private such that they can be investigated and pursued if appropriate.

 

 

3.      Oireachtas

 

• Dáil

 

i.        Extend the Dáil sitting times to 4 days per week.

ii.       Reduce the number of Joint Oireachtas Committees from 19 to 9.

iii.     No allowances will be paid for committee chairperson, vice chairpersons or convenors.

iv.     Allow for wider use of pairing where TDs are engaged in Committee work.

v.      Make ministers amenable to the public accounts committee in relation to policy decisions.

vi.     Extend the power of the Dáil Committees to hold people to account – in particular introduce new Constitutional amendment to reverse effect of Abbeylara decision.

vii.   Appoint parliamentary inspectors to assist parliamentary committees in investigative roles that will reduce the requirement for tribunals of inquiry

viii.  TD’s will be allowed to raise topical matters on a daily basis.

ix.     Leaders Questions to be reformed to allow more supplementary questions.

x.      Ministerial Pensions – no ministerial pensions should be paid while a member continues to serve in either house of the Oireachtas.  This new arrangement should apply to all relevant members simultaneously.

 

 

•  Seanad Eireann

 

i.        Membership of the Seanad to be comprised of

·  23 to be elected by members of local councils & public representatives.

·  20 to be elected by directly by the general electorate based on euro constituencies. These elections to take place every five years on the same date as local and European elections.

·  Right of address in the Seanad conferred on MEPs and former Taoisigh.

·  Six senators will be elected by all Graduates after each general election.

·  11 senators will be nominated by the Taoiseach.

 

ii.       Provide Seanad Eireann with additional powers to;

·  Review proposed EU legislation.

·  Take presentations from the public on matters of national importance.

·  Initiate constitutional referenda on matters of public importance.

·  Power to ask the President to test the constitutionality of a Bill under Art 26.

·   Interview applicants for various prescribed public positions (C&AG; Ombudsman).

 

 

 

4.      Elections

 

i.        Establish an Electoral Commission that will assume the electoral responsibilities of SIPO and will be in charge of;

·  The conduct of elections

·  The registration of voters

·  The registration of political parties

·  The monitoring of election expenditure

·  The determination of constituency boundaries and the number of representatives

·  Advising the Minister on electoral reforms

·  Date for elections to be prescribed in set 5-year terms, unless the Dail is otherwise dissolved.

 

5.      Ethics and transparency in office

 

·  The new Electoral Commission will be free to investigate complaints on its own initiative at national or local government level.

·  Commission power to make mandatory codes of conduct in relation to office holders, public representatives, public servants and certain designated persons.

·  Responsible for monitoring adherence with disclosure of interests legislation and registers.

·  Prosecuting function.

·  Regulate lobbyists and persons or organisations involved in lobbying.

·  Introduce sanction of disqualification from office for persons guilty of unethical behaviour.

 

6.       Transparency

 

·  Reinstate FOI legislation as originally enacted.

·  Strengthen role of Ombudsman.

·  Provide for maximum levels of public access to parliamentary and local authority debates via the web.

 

 

7.     Committees and Other Reform

 

Current Situation

1.       Nineteen (19) Joint Committees (see table 1) and Nine (9) standing committees, of which three are activated as required.

2.       British /Irish Parliamentary Association.

3.       Payment is made to 23 chairs, 22 vice –chairs, 27 convenors and 2 chairs of Sub Committees. The total cost is €955,000.

4.       There are eight (8) paid members of the Commission, at a cost of €160,000.

 

Recommendations

1.       Reduce the nineteen (19) Joint committees to ten (9), through amalgamation, as Per Table 3, five (5) chairs and vice-chairs should come from the opposition.

2.       The Standing Committees are reduced to three.

3.       Abolish all remuneration.

4.       The number on each committee should be sufficiently small to ensure that no member is on more than one committee. The government should have a majority on each committee.

5.       The chair of the Public Accounts Committee will continue to be a member of the Opposition.

 

Full Report Available on http://www.finegael.ie