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…

3 things we’ll be keeping an eye on

• Dáil: Leaders’ Questions – The Taoiseach will be taking questions first thing at 10.30am.
• Dáil: Order of Business – After that at 10.51am, the first matter up for discussion is the Social Welfare Bill 2013, which would bring into effect cuts outlined in Budget 2014 such as the discontinuation of the Bereavement Grant and changes to Jobseekers payments.
• Committees: Health and Children - An EU Directive which addresses issues such as the lack of control on legal highs will be discussed at 2pm in Room 3.

Everything else that’s happening in the Dáil

• It’s time for a break at 2.40pm.
• Minister for Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte will be taking questions at 4.30pm. A topic in his portfolio which has been in the headlines this week is nuclear energy, and just yesterday an MEP called for an independent review of security risks posed by British stations.
• Didn’t get your fill of the Social Welfare Bill? It’s likely to be back again at 5.45pm when morning business is continued.

Everything else that’s happening in the Seanad

• The report on the European Public Prosecutors Office, heard without debate in the Dáil yesterday? It will be appear in the Seanad at 10.30am during Order of Business with a motion for Council Regulation.
• At 11.45am a bill by Senators Mark Daly, Marc MacSharry, Diarmuid Wilson will be discussed.  The EU Scrutiny and Transparency in Government Bill 2013 would ensure directives from the EU would be, as the name suggests, scrutinised before a Minister puts their signature to it.
• After that will be Matters on the Adjournment, where Senators can raise any concerns they might have.

Everything else that’s happening in the Committees

• The Ambassadors of Estonia and Lativa to Ireland, Mr Mait Martinson and Mr Gints Apals respectively, will meet the European Union Affairs committee at 2pm in Room 3 to discuss the experience of their countries in the EU.
• The Children and Youth Affairs sub-committee will be back again with Minister Frances Fitzgerald to discuss the Child and Family Agency Bill 2013, which would see groups like the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board merged into one agency. That’s at 5.15pm in Committee Room 2.
• At 10am in Room 3 the Education and Social Protection committee will be meet to continue discussion of the General Scheme of Gender Recognition Bill 2013, which would “provide a process enabling transgender people to achieve full legal recognition of their self-identified gender”. Among those in attendance this time will be Amnesty International and the Equality Authority.
• In Room 4, the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement will hear from the Fred Barry, CEO of the National Roads Authority, on the development of roads along the border region at 10.30am. At 11.30am, all-island economic development will be discussed.
• The Health and Children committee in Room 3 will see two sessions on End of Life Care, both featuring a range of exports on the topic. The first is at 10am and the second at 12pm.

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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