Opposition to block formation of Oireachtas committees if Dáil speaking row not resolved

The Opposition has threatened to block the formation of parliamentary committees in the Oireachtas if the long-standing row over Dáil speaking rights is not resolved by a crunch meeting of the Dáil Reform Committee on Wednesday.

Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy has cleared all other items from the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting in a bid to end the dispute.

“I am acutely aware that this unresolved situation is having a significant impact on the functioning of the Dáil, not least on the formation of Oireachtas committees,” she said in a statement. “We should be getting down to the business of dealing with issues that directly concern the electorate.”

In a letter to Dáil Reform Committee members she said Oireachtas committees “do important work and are a central part of a proper functioning Dáil”. Delays in establishing them has implications for the legislative process and accountability.

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The dispute centres on Government efforts to carve out specific speaking time for a small group of Independent TDs led by Michael Lowry who support the Coalition.

The Dáil Reform Committee meeting will discuss new standing orders that have been proposed by Government chief whip Mary Butler. She has suggested creating a new time slot in the Dáil each week, called Other Members’ Questions, which would allow groups who are not in opposition to ask one question to the Taoiseach on two sitting days each week.

However, the new slot would result in Taoiseach’s Questions – which allows TDs to ask the Taoiseach specific questions about his department – being reduced from twice a week to once a week.

The Government’s proposals remain unchanged.

“The Dáil is an ever-evolving parliament, and our standing orders must also evolve to recognise this,” a spokesman for Ms Butler said. “In approaching the issue of Dáil reform the Government is mindful of the collective need to arrange the business of the Dáil and produce a schedule that respects the mandate of each and every TD elected to it.”

A meeting of the Opposition whips took place Tuesday evening, with participants saying afterwards that they remain united against the Government’s proposals.

Following the meeting, the the leaders of all Opposition parties issued a joint letter to the Ceann Comhairle making clear their “absolute and united opposition” to any access being afforded to Mr Lowry’s group to Leaders Questions.

In a strongly-worded letter, they accused the Government of making a “mockery” of the democratic system of the Dáil.

“These speaking slots are designed explicitly for Opposition TDs to fulfil our democratic responsibility to hold the government to account,” stated the letter. It was signed by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Labour’s Ivana Bacik, acting Social Democrats leader Cian O’Callaghan, People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett and Michael Collins of Independent Ireland.

“Government manoeuvres to try and achieve this outcome are farcical, disrupt the proper functioning of the Dáil and undermine the democratic process itself,” they wrote.

Oireachtas committees are chosen on the D’Hondt system, which allots positions depending on the strength of parties and groups. A delay in forming committees could result in long delays in the Public Accounts Committee beginning examinations of spending policies and practices in the Arts Council and in the National Gallery.

The issue was raised in the Dáil, where Opposition leaders accused the Government of attempting “ram through” its proposals on speaking rights.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “The Opposition keep saying the Government is trying to ram things through but it seems the Opposition is trying to ram through a Labour and Sinn Féin view of who people should associate with.”