Plan to rush two Bills criticised by Opposition

THE GOVERNMENT is to publish legislation today on reversing the Abbeylara judgment and broadening the investigative powers of Oireachtas committees.

However, its plan to rush the Abbeylara legislation, and separate legislation needed for the referendum on judges’ pay, through the Dáil this week has been criticised by Opposition politicians.

Both issues will be decided by referendums on the same day as the presidential election on October 27th. The Government says the guillotining of both pieces of legislation is necessary for the referendums to be held on this day.

Kildare North TD Catherine Murphy, the whip for the technical group, complained yesterday that the two Bills were being rushed through the Oireachtas without sufficient time for proper debate.

The Bill providing for the 29th amendment to the Constitution, which will allow for changes in judges’ pay, is scheduled to come before the Dáil at 5.24pm on Wednesday. All stages of the debate are scheduled for completion by 10pm that evening.

The time allocated for consideration of a Bill providing for the 30th amendment to the Constitution, on the Abbeylara judgement, is even less. It is scheduled to come before the Dáil at 1.06pm on Thursday, with all stages of the debate to conclude by 6.45pm.

Ms Murphy said it was ironic that the latter Bill was being rushed through immediately after TDs were invited to make statements to mark International Democracy Day. She said technical group members were being given only 15 minutes to speak on the Bill.

“If you’re a democrat and you’re not worried about that, then there’s something wrong with you,” she added.

Following the shooting dead of John Carthy at his home in Abbeylara, Co Longford, during a stand-off with gardaí in 2000, an investigation was authorised by the justice committee of the Oireachtas.

This was halted after gardaí took a successful High Court action, which also had the effect of preventing any further Oireachtas investigation where the good name of any citizen might be impugned.

The Bill to come before the Dáil on Thursday aims to remove this barrier to Oireachtas inquiries by giving it the power to inquire into matters of public importance and make findings about individuals.

The Dáil is due to return after the summer recess on Wednesday.

It last sat on July 21st.

Fianna FÁil meeting social issues to fore

AN EXAMINATION of the social effects of the economic crisis is a core theme of Fianna Fáil’s annual strategy meeting, which starts today.

Representatives of the St Vincent de Paul and the New Beginning group that works with indebted homeowners are due to address the two-day gathering in a Tallaght hotel. The meeting will also hear from an addiction expert and the author of a column on being unemployed, published recently in The Irish Times.

Although observers have predicted Fianna Fáil may move to the left, a senior party source said the emphasis on social issues was not unusual. The source noted that a similar gather in 2004 was addressed by Fr Seán Healy of the Conference of Religious of Ireland.

Although the party had a short think-in at the summer, this gathering is the first conference since their catastrophic performance in February’s general election. The party now has just 19 TDs, 14 Senators and three MEPs and most are expected to attend.

Last year's conference in Galway would have been attended by more than 100 parliamentary party members. PAUL CULLEN