It is a long time since Oireachtas committees enjoyed such a high profile. The hearings by both the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Oireachtas Media Committee into the recent scandals at RTÉ attracted huge public and political attention, with the meetings carried on live television and their exchanges endlessly analysed afterwards. More are to come, with the PAC seeking more documents and signalling it plans another hearing. While both committees carried out a useful public service, it is fair to say that the episodes demonstrated significant shortcomings, too.
For a start, it is hard to see why two Oireachtas committees are investigating the same thing. It makes no sense for RTÉ witnesses to be summoned before two different committees to be repeatedly grilled about the same questions. There are two issues at RTÉ: first, what happened? And second, where should the station go now? There is an obvious and suitable division between these for the two committees. The Public Accounts Committee should investigate the potential misuse of public funds; the Media Committee should discuss where RTÉ goes from here. Both are important. It’s not like we are short of things in RTÉ to talk about.
While some members of the committees distinguished themselves with intelligent and forensic questions, not all did. Two faults were ubiquitous – repeatedly asking the witnesses the same questions (how many times, for instance, was Ryan Tubridy asked if his resignation from the Late Late Show was connected to the payments controversy?), and failing to pick up where the last questioner left off. Questioning all too often reverted instead to a pre-prepared list of questions, many of which had already been asked. TDs and senators need to be more nimble, better able to react to answers, and pursue lines of questioning begun by their colleagues. The suspicion lingers that some TDs were as interested in getting their contributions featured on news bulletins as they were in getting revealing answers from the witnesses. And some of the meetings were just too long.
Nonetheless, the hearings reminded us that scrutiny, not just of the Government, but of the wider public service, is an important function of the Oireachtas. The committees are an essential part of that work. The ability to bring in not just ministers but others who wield power and who are often not subject to the scrutiny that politicians regularly endure is important. It is a vital element in holding power to account. So it is important that it is done well.
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It is a truism of parliamentary life that much of the good work that TDs and senators do takes place in the committees and goes by unnoticed. But the committees could and should do their business better – and in turn this can only increase the interest of voters in what they do.