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 – Taoiseach Enda Kenny will take questions from members of the opposition at 3.15pm when the big issues of the day are likely to be raised.
• Dáil: Youth unemployment – Sinn Féin will be raising the issue of youth unemployment in its private members’ time at 7.30pm with a motion that calls on the government to commit €400 million to the youth guarantee initiative. The government pledged an additional €14 million in last month’s Budget.
• Committees: Child protection – The sixth report of the special rapporteur on child protection will be discussed by the Health and Children committee at 5.15pm in Committee Room 2 with the special rapporteur himself, Geoffrey Shannon, in attendance. A number of recent child protection cases are likely to be raised.

Everything else that’s happening in the Dáil

• TDs begin their week with questions to the Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore at 2pm.
• After Leaders’ Questions, TDs get down to the Order of Business, followed by messages of sympathy for former Fianna Fáil TD Paddy Power who died last August.
• Pressing matters of the day will be raised at Topical Issues before TDs begin debate on the second stage of the Health Insurance Amendment Bill, which makes the changes to health insurance eligibility criteria announced in the Budget.
• The Dáil adjourns at 9pm after Sinn Féin’s motion.

Everything else that’s happening in the Seanad

• Senators start their week at 2.30pm when everything and anything is discussed during the Order of Business. Expect the sad news about Labour’s Jimmy Harte to be raised.
• The bill to abolish ministerial severance payments and reform the parliamentary standard allowance reaches committee stage at 3.45pm.
• Discussion on the mammoth Companies Bill – which overhauls company law in Ireland – reaches committee stage in the Seanad at 5.30pm.
• Then it’s Matters on the Adjournment before the upper house itself adjourns for the day.

Everything else that’s happening in the Committees

• The Environment Committee resumes discussion on the Maritime Area and Foreshore Amendment Bill at midday in Committee Room 4, with various interested parties. This complex piece of law aims to align the foreshore consent system with the planning system and devolve more powers to local authorities. Yep, simples.
• The Jobs Committee meets in Committee Room 2 at 1.45pm to discuss the potential of the not-for-profit sector to create jobs with representatives from Philanthropy Ireland – the people behind those One Percent Difference ads. After lunch TDs and senators engage with Michael Horgan the chairman designate of the Health and Safety Authority from 3.15pm.
• The Agriculture Committee meets at 3pm in Committee Room 3 to discuss the Marine Institute’s annual report for 2011 and the Coillte annual report for 2012 with the two bodies’ representatives.

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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