The government has admitted that legislation is not ready to come before the house as the Dáil again spends several hours this week debating the government’s priorities for the year ahead.
Rather than vote Yes or No, a deputy will be able to officially abstain from a vote on a piece of legislation or a motion under changes likely to be implemented later this year.
It’s no surprise that the opposition doesn’t think the government has done enough Dáil reform, but TDs think that even some changes that have been introduced aren’t working.
A letter from the chairpersons of the Oireachtas committees to the Ceann Comhairle has raised “serious concerns” about the workloads faced in 2014 as a result of the plans to scrutinise legislation before it comes before the Dáil.
Changes to the question time have been criticised but the government chief whip has defended the new format following near-farcical scenes in the chamber on Thursday.
The Dáil will start earlier on a Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays than it currently does and Friday sittings will be every two weeks instead of every month as is the case at present under government proposals outlined today.
Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe has hinted at possible changes to the strict party whip system as the coalition will today launch its plans for Dáil reform.
The whip system – where TDs must vote with their party position or risk expulsion – is the subject of some debate in political circles but immediate reform, ahead of potentially divisive abortion debate, appears unlikely.
Goverment TDs should be allowed to vote against their party on certain matters under proposals by backbench TD Eoghan Murphy in an internal document circulated among Fine Gael members this week.
As we approach the end of another Dáil term, we’ve been asking the government and the opposition how the much-vaunted sittings of the Dáil on the first Friday of every month have been working out.
THE GOVERNMENT HAS faced mounting criticism over its messaging around Covid-19 restrictions, particularly in the last few days.
Our political correspondent Christina Finn writes that the confusion about how the government plans to handle the next phase of the pandemic was not just about mixed messages, but also about plain old bad communication.
She breaks down the numerous bumps for government communications in recent days here.
Government themselves are not as convinced. Taoiseach Micheál Martin told reporters last night that he didn’t think the government had a problem with communicating a clear plan, while Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said this morning that if there have been any failures “we have to accept responsibility for that”.
Today we’re asking: Do you think government communication around Covid-19 restrictions has been clear in recent weeks?
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