A raft of changes to how the Dáil does its business have been agreed this afternoon by TDs.
Government chief whip Paul Kehoe said the changes will have a transformational affect on the running of the House.
The changes to Standing Orders, which will take effect when the house returns after the summer recess on 14 September, are the first stage of a larger package of reforms to be introduced in the 31st Dáil.
The main changes:
-The Dáil will sit earlier on Tuesdays. Instead of begining at 2.30pm, it will get under way at 2pm. The first item on the agenda will be Minister’s Questions for one hour and 15 minutes.
-Adjournment Debates will be replaced with Topical Issue Debates. Items selected for the Topical Issue Debate will be allocated 12 minutes, with time for 12 of these debates in a full sitting of week. Members will be able to submit the items for consideration on the day of the debate before 10am. Debates will be held on Tuesdays at 5.06pm, Wednesdays at 3.45pm and Thursdays at 3.42pm.
-The Dáil will sit on the first Friday of every month to give TDs time to introduce their own bills. These sittings will be designed to give more time to consider the second stage of bills introduced by private members.
Bills will be selected by a lottery system and TDs (who are not ministers) who have published a bill can submit it for debate. A quorum of ten will apply to the debates and TDs proposing the bill will be responsible for the quorum. These bills will not be voted on during the Fridays sittings instead they will be voted on during the next Dáil sitting following the Order of Business.
-Time for the Order of Business will be limited to 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and and 20 minutes on Thursdays.
-Changes to the Taoiseach’s Parliamentary Questions means they will be extended to an hour on Tuesdays, and will no longer be held on Wednesdays.
-A procedure will be introduced to allow deputies to raise issues with the Ceann Comhairle regarding replies they have received to Parliamentary Questions. The Ceann Comhairle can refer the matter back to the minister.
-Procedures under which a Deputy can raise an important issue needing urgent consideration (under standing order 32) will not be read out in the Dáil, unless the Ceann Comhairle grants the request.
