The effectiveness of the legislative and scrutinising roles in the Republic or Ireland. - page 3
Keywords: republic of ireland legislative scrutiny dail eireann td teachta dala
By exploiit on 19/06/2010
Level: A Level (Year 13)
Page Number: 3 of 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
key mechanism through which scrutiny is possible. Commencement and adjournments debates are used by TDs to discuss a day’s proceedings, but are largely predictable in nature; government ministers utilize these debates in order to defend themselves. In large, these lead to little more than theatrical bickering between parties and so are limited in just how effectively they are used. A debate can also be called in the form of a ‘motion of confidence’, whereby the Opposition will table a motion of no confidence in the government, disparaging the work of one or several ministers. This can be effective in drawing attention to problem areas in particular ministries and has twice caused the dismissal of a government. It can be argued however, to have much the same effect as adjournment debates, with the government simply tabling a motion of confidence in themselves. In addition to this, ad hoc debates can also be called in order to address issues of immediate concern. These perhaps prove the most effective form of debate in the Dáil, allowing the Opposition to air their grievances on government failings but also providing cross-party consensus on matters of major development.
The committee system is another fundamental instrument which allows TDs the opportunity to scrutinize the executive effectively. Unlike debates, committees are intimate and are not televised, and therefore are not so prone to theatrics or party-political bickering. Instead, the ‘small group psychology’ of the committee system can rival the strict party identification of a TD, encouraging cross-party work. For many years, the committee system included the entire Dáil but reform in 2002 has seen this altered to mirror that in Westminster; now, 11 TDs sit on a committee and a committee has been established to monitor each department, allowing for closer and more effective scrutiny. However this system, too, is riddled with criticism. Due to the number of committees, there is not enough time for each to work adequately and the modest number of TDs resident in the Dáil means that a lack of human resources are available for each committee to function efficiently. Many TDs, as well as committee clerks, sit on two or more committees and so are not focused solely on any specific one. In addition to this, the composition of any committee can prove questionable; four paid positions exist in each and TDs are appointed to these positions by the Taoiseach, likely leaving them inclined
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