Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Dáil Reforms – 2016

New Business Committee • Comprised of both Government and opposition TDs, chaired by Ceann Comhairle • Plans and arranges Dáil business on a weekly basis.

New Budgetary Oversight Committee • To develop and support the role of the Dáil in the annual budgetary cycle. • The Committee would be supported in its work by a new Parliamentary Budget Office.

Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Dáil Reforms – 2016

Restructuring of Dáil Time • Separation of plenary and Committee times • Most plenary votes on a Thursday afternoons • Better prioritisation of Committees and overall time management

New Standing on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Islands

Other Changes • more than one ‘technical group’ - more Dáil access and rights for independent members and small parties • Parliamentary Questions to be answered during Summer recess • Use of the De Hondt system for Committees

Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Experience and Impact to date

• Increased demand on the services required by the Chamber and Committees, including Procedural, Debates, Bills Office, Parliamentary Legal Advisor, and Translation. Consequential pressure on resources of the Houses of the Oireachtas – financial, human resources, accommodation, etc. • Significant changes to Dáil procedures and time schedule, involving extensive changes to Standing Orders • Decrease in the output of legislation from Parliament • Prospects of further/ongoing changes following review by the Reform Sub- Committee to review

Committees • More Committees – 22 (with more possible) • 7 Special Committees to date – Housing, Healthcare, Water Charges, Brexit, 8th Amendment, Mental Health • Prominence of the Committee on Public Accounts Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Private Members Bills • Big increase in the volume of such Bills (being introduced and referred to Committees for consideration). • Questions regarding the quality of such Bills, and of the capacity of Parliament to deal with them. • Steps are being taken to put in place a new drafting service – part of the Parliamentary Legal Advisors Office – for such Bills

External engagements • Brexit Symposium (Sept 2016), Brexit in the Dáil Chamber (May/Sept 2017), Committee Forum on Broadcasting (July 2017), Parliamentary Forum on Mental Health (Sept 2017)

• Other Developments • Forum on Parliamentary Privilege

Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Parliamentary Budget Office Background – OECD Report 2015 • Found that Budget oversight by the Houses of the Oireachtas is under-developed • Recommended establishment of PBO • Role of PBO - o to support the Houses of the Oireachtas and its Committees (including the Committee on Budget Oversight) in scrutinising public finance and budgetary matters o to strengthen oversight of management of the economy and the public finances o be a source of independent and impartial financial and economic analysis information (analysis and advice) - comparable in accordance with the principles outlined by the OECD. o to be independent, authoritative and non-partisan Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Parliamentary Budget Office

• PBO will provide analysis and briefing on: • the Semester process and timetable/key milestones; • the fiscal rules and the SGP including the Expenditure Benchmark and the Medium Term Objective (MTO); • analysis to support Members in their scrutiny of the raising and spending of public monies; • analysis and advice on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, the new Spending Review process and its outputs and the sustainability of spending; • the composition and sustainability of the revenue base to support public service delivery. • The Office will also carry out analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of public services/public sector reform developments Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Parliamentary Budget Office

• Immediate priority – To establish the Office and get it up and running on a fully operational footing. • Steps required – • building a team/ relevant skills and expertise • developing the team’s capacity • putting in place appropriate policy and administrative frameworks to underpin the work, • There has been – • liaison with the L&RS to complement existing capacity and activity • stakeholder engagement in Ireland (IFAC, ESRI), and • discussions with PBO in Austria & Canada Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Office of the Parliamentary Legal Advisor • Need for enhanced role – • Drafting assistance for non-Government members • Advice on all legislation being considered. • 2 new Units being established • Private Members’ Bills Legal Advisory Unit to provide – • legal advice to on the legal aspects of policy issues in Private Members’ Bills proposals • legal advice for non-Government Members on policy issues arising from Government legislation. • legal advice to Committees, as required • Private Members’ Bills Drafting Unit to provide • legislative drafting services in respect of Private Members’ Bills (and pre- legislative scrutiny of PMBs) • Assist non-Government members with amendments to Government Bills Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland

Summary

• Very substantial change to structures and procedures • Increased demands on the services of the Houses • Further changes likely • Effectiveness?