Number of Oireachtas committees cut to 14

THE GOVERNMENT will reduce the number of Dáil committees to 14 and announce a powerful new “investigations, oversight and petitions committee” to examine matters previously pursued by tribunals.

Under the last administration, there were approximately 25 Oireachtas committees. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he expects the new committee arrangements will be announced next week.

The formation of the investigations, oversight and petitions committee springs from a commitment in the programme for government to amending the Constitution to give Dáil committees full powers of investigation.

The Abbeylara Supreme Court decision limits the ability of committees to hold investigations into issues of public concern, such as the banking crisis.

Responsibility for scrutinising the legislative proposals of Government departments, previously spread over 16 select committees, will be divided between eight committees, while committees will also be given the power to introduce legislation.

The new committees will include a committee on communications and agriculture, a committee on environment, arts and transport and a committee on education, enterprise and social protection.

Mr Kenny, who has spoken recently of his determination to reduce the number of committees while increasing their powers of investigation and oversight, was asked in the Dáil this week by Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams to clarify when the committees would be established.

“While two major State visits will start next week, I also expect the position regarding the committees will be dealt with then. The number of committees will also be reduced,” Mr Kenny said.

Restrictions on civil servants giving evidence to committees will be scrapped and replaced with new guidelines that reflect their personal accountability.

Committees are to be given extra powers needed to carry out value-for-money audits of State programmes and will be entitled to sit in the Dáil chamber when the lower house is not in session.

The powerful public accounts committee will be retained, as will the Committee on Procedures and Privileges; the members’ interests committee and the Joint Administration Committee.

The Good Friday agreement committee and the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly will also remain in place.

Meanwhile, an interim Dáil committee, which has been sitting pending the establishment of the full committee system, yesterday reported that the new draft EU directive for a common consolidated corporate tax base across all member states did not comply with the principle of subsidiarity.

Subsidiarity is a legal requirement in the Lisbon Treaty to ensure that the EU only proposes common actions that are necessary to bring greater benefits which cannot be achieved at national level alone.

Chairman of Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan described the draft directive as “too vague” and claimed it failed to establish a coherent case that a common consolidated corporate tax base would be of benefit to Ireland and the EU as a whole.

“It also may have the effect of indirectly impacting on Ireland’s corporate tax rates which is a sovereign issue for Ireland only and outside the EU’s remit. There is also the concern that the proposal may suit larger member states more,” Mr Flanagan said.