WHAT’S GOING ON in Leinster House?

Every day the Dáil and Seanad are sitting, TheJournal.ie brings you the most comprehensive guide to what our lawmakers are getting up to in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

So, here is what we can expect to be happening in the Dáil, Seanad and Committee rooms today…

4 things we’ll be keeping an eye on

• Dáil: Leaders Questions – The Taoiseach just loves to kickstart his Dáil week by answering questions from the main opposition leaders at 3.15pm. Will Fianna Fáil raise medical cards again?
• Dáil: Bondholders – The Technical Group and some other independents, including Peter Mathews, are bringing forward a motion calling on the government to stop paying bondholders at 7.30pm.
• Committees: Budget 2014 – Finance Minister Michael Noonan will take us though the detail of the Finance Bill which outlines all the taxation measures announced in the Budget with the a sub-commitee on Finance in Room 3 at 2pm.
• Committees: HIQA – An increasingly prominent organisation which assess the standards of healthcare in this country, the health watchdog’s chairman Brian McEnery discusses its corporate plan for the next two years with the Health Committee in Room 2 at 5.15pm.

Everything else that’s happening in the Dáil

• Education Minister Ruairí Quinn takes questions on his portfolio at 2pm.
• After Leaders’ Questions, the Taoiseach answers oral questions on his department’s work before the Order of Business and then Topical Issues.
• The bill which changes eligibility criteria for medical cards for the over-70s will reach its final vote before debate on the second stage of the Forestry Bill begins.
• After the private members’ business on bondholders, the Dáil adjourns at 9pm.

Everything else that’s happening in the Seanad

• The Seanad begins its day at 2.30pm with the Order of Business.
• Then the debate on the bill which will legislate for the pension changes announced last week by Social Protection Minister Joan Burton begins at 3.45pm.
• After debate on that concludes its Matters of the Adjournment before the upper house itself adjourns for the day.

Everything else that’s happening in the Committees

• The Agriculture Committee meets in Room 2 at 2pm to debate a motion on horse and greyhound racing fund regulations before the forthcoming EU Council of Ministers meeting on agriculture is discussed with the Minister Simon Coveney.
• The EU Affairs Committee continues to discuss the social dimension of the economic and monetary union or EMU with interest groups in Room 1 at 2pm. Today it is the turn of IBEC, the National Youth Council of Ireland and the ESRI, all of whom are among those giving submissions.
• The Jobs Committee will meet with the Jobs Minister Richard Bruton in Room 1 at 5.30pm to discuss a forthcoming EU Council of Ministers meeting and progress on the EU-US trade negotiations, which are known as TTIP.
• The Transport Committee discusses supplementary estimates for the Department of Transport with Leo Varadkar in Room 4 at 7pm.

Here’s how to watch what’s going on in Leinster House today

• Dáil Éireann
• Seanad Éireann
• Committee Room 1
• Committee Room 2
• Committee Room 3
• Committee Room 4
• To access streams on iOS, click here

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