Labour leader critical of Ahern's leadership

The Taoiseach's style of leadership is diminishing the Dáil and public respect for and confidence in it, the Labour leader claimed.

Mr Pat Rabbitte called for Mr Ahern and the Government to "show some respect for Dáil Éireann and to begin by limiting the number of 12-hour days and extending the number of sitting days". He said the Taoiseach had contrived for the Dáil to sit for the minimum periods possible.

Mr Ahern "would prefer that the Dáil not meet at all and that, unhindered, he could get on with his interminable schedule of openings, launches, international visits, soft interviews and stage-managed sound-bites as the serious work".

"The settled policy is to sanitise Dáil procedures to the extent that all spontaneity is stifled, and Government backbenchers do not even have to show up for the Order of Business nowadays.

"Public confidence in Dáil Éireann will continue to diminish if it is not seen as a functioning, relevant forum where the Government makes itself amenable and the procedures are such that it can be held to account by the Opposition."

Speaking during a debate on the "commencement" of the Dáil session, the Dublin South-West TD said the tradition of starting back at the end of January derived from the budget being published at the end of that month.

"What is the excuse for continuing as if budget day had not changed?"

He said that piecemeal, minimal reforms of Dáil procedure are gradually introduced "depending on whether they are judged to be to the advantage of the Government".

Introducing the debate, the Government chief whip Ms Mary Hanafin said the Government's social and economic policies had resulted in great progress and these achievements were "a foundation to build even more ambitiously for the future.

"In the six months since the current Government was formed, we have kept our foot on the accelerator and continued to work steadily, building on what has already been achieved."

The current administration had published 18 Bills of which 12 had been enacted and 34 Bills are currently before the Oireachtas. The vision of the Government "is to build a fair society on an island at peace with itself".

Nine of the 12 Bills passed through the Dáil in the week before Christmas and most were technical in nature, according to the Green Party's chief whip, Mr Dan Boyle, who said the Dáil met on such an infrequent basis that it negated the Government's claim to have a radical legislative programme.

The Fine Gael chief whip, Mr Bernard Durkan, said the Government's "record is deplorable" and the election slogan of "a lot done, more to do" should be changed to "damage done, worse to come".