Ombudsman critical of Oireachtas for "poor governance"

[locke]

when will it go to a full dail vote then?

I'm not sure

Last I saw the Labour Party were planning to put it to the Dail

Fianna Fáil TDs block Lost at Sea report probe | Irish Examiner

[goosebump]

Wouldn't it be great if ordinary people had a chance every few years to chose the membership of the Oireachtas?

If ordinary people were allowed to chose who represented them in the Oireachtas we'd clearly have much better Government.

Will this ever happen, do you think?

[The Field Marshal]

This poll seems silly to me.
The Dail controls the executive and can hold it to account on any matter under the sun by the simple expedient of majority voting .

That is the essence of democracy.

There is no debate about it whatsoever so the above poll is surplus to requirements.

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[adamirer]

The Ombudsman has launched an attack on Ireland's politicians, saying "poor governance in key institutions" is at the heart of our economic downturn.

Emily O'Reilly is citing a report she prepared which, despite two attempts, was never discussed at Oireachtas committee level.

She has said it is an example of how parliamentary and government arrangements can adversely affect the work of her office.

She also said her office has done what the Financial Regulator "was accused of not doing, in terms of failing to serve the public interest and rooting out maladministration in the banking system".

Ms O'Reilly claims parliament in Ireland has been side-lined and is no longer in a position to hold the Executive to account.

Read more: Ombudsman blames TDs for economic downturn | BreakingNews.ie

O'Reilly not pulling any punches there, the neutering of the role of parliament and the decentralising of responsibility to unaccountable bodies has been a mark of Government since the earliest part of Aherns time.

[redhead101]

That's a lot of people for 2 Reports!!

Let me see if I have this right.

You think that rather than investigating complaints about the administrative actions of Government Departments and public bodies, the Ombudsman's office should be writing more reports?

You are aware that the Ombudsman handles about 10,000 inquiries, and undertakes about close to 3,000 investigations right?

[redhead101]

This poll seems silly to me.
The Dail controls the executive and can hold it to account on any matter under the sun by the simple expedient of majority voting .

Bless!

[Libero]

This poll seems silly to me.
The Dail controls the executive and can hold it to account on any matter under the sun by the simple expedient of majority voting .

That is the essence of democracy.

There is no debate about it whatsoever so the above poll is surplus to requirements.

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And you don't think that a strictly-enforced party whip might, possibly, undermine your fine theoretical basis for parliamentary accountability?

[ManUnited]

And you don't think that a strictly-enforced party whip might, possibly, undermine your fine theoretical basis for parliamentary accountability?

"strictly enforced" is a bit misleading. TD's are free to vote according to their conscience if they so wish. If you don't like the whip system you can always vote for an independant.The fact that people vote for TD's they know will tow the party line is not a fault in the system.

[adamirer]

It is a superb speech and I fully recommend all to read it (link in the OP). Here is a snippet.

Unfortunately, the model of government set out in the Irish Constitution has become more of a fiction than a reality. In practice the Dáil, and to a slightly lesser extent the Seanad, is controlled very firmly by the Government parties through the operation of the whip system. For all practical purposes, and I very much regret having to say this so bluntly, parliament in Ireland has been side-lined and is no longer in a position to hold the executive to account. With the exception of the election of a Taoiseach, almost all decisions of importance are taken by the executive and are rubber-stamped by parliament.

......

On the other hand, some members of the Oireachtas would seem no longer conscious that parliament is intended to call the executive to account. This reality was brought home to me while listening recently to RTÉ Radio One's News at One programme. Seán O'Rourke asked a government backbencher for his views on the expected Cabinet re-shuffle; various names were mentioned for promotion or demotion and the fate of the current Minister for Health & Children cropped up. The backbencher was unhappy that the current Minister has (as he saw it) become unaccountable. The reason why he was taking this view is quite revealing.

It's not because the Minister is failing to explain herself in the Dáil or to reply to PQs; the problem, as he saw it, is that the Minister as an independent TD is not a member of the main Government party and she does not attend party meetings where she can be questioned by backbenchers. Accountability, in this model, happens in the party rooms and not in the Dáil. It was clear from the interview that the idea of the Minister being held to account within the Dáil or Seanad, by members of any party, was not an issue. This is not how Bunreacht na hÉireann envisages that parliament will operate.

Ms O'Reilly has done the state some service.

[Libero]

"strictly enforced" is a bit misleading. TD's are free to vote according to their conscience if they so wish. If you don't like the whip system you can always vote for an independant.The fact that people vote for TD's they know will tow the party line is not a fault in the system.

Do you think that the Irish parliamentary system was truly introduced with the intent that the legislature effectively hold the executive to account?

I mean, do you think that de Valera and other founders of the modern state would look at the current state of accountability of the government before Dáil Éireann, shake their heads, and say this was nothing like what they intended, and that it was all a terrible shame?

Remember that we knew what we were getting when we adopted the Westminster system, without even a decent committee system.

In that respect, I disagree with Emily O'Reilly. I think she's codding herself if she really thinks that Bunreacht na hÉireann was ever meant to result in anything radically different from what's emerged. And she's really codding herself if she thinks that we'll ever see anything other than strictly-whipped parliamentary parties so long as we have (a) the current Constitution and - perhaps more importantly - (b) an electorate that isn't all that bothered by the idea that its TDs will slavishly stick to the party line (and possibly even demands that, in the name of stable government).