Varadkar: Committees must continue probes, even if it’s unpopular with politicians
He said while politicians should never abuse privilege or power, it was their job to hold others to account and they should be supported for doing so.
“What has not gone unnoticed is the extra teeth given to Oireachtas committees as the CRC, Garda commissioner, Rehab and others can testify to.
“Some of this has not gone down too well in this House, but I think the public like it and want to see more of it, and so do I,” he told the Dáil.
He said he was looking forward to the Oireachtas banking inquiry which would commence in the next few months.
His views were echoed by Fine Gael party chairman Charlie Flanagan, who said while the legacy of the present Government would be job creation, he said it would be further enhanced by “pushing” Dáil reform that would have far reaching outcomes. He said dynamic reform would depend on:
nA strong independent ceann comhairle with powers to regulate the parliamentary timetable;
nA well-resourced parliamentary legal office which advises the Dáil in the same way the attorney general advises the government; nStronger Dáil committees that could address a body of work over a “committee week”;
nA ‘constitution day” when people could have their say on up to six issues at once.
Fianna Fáil’s chief whip Seán Ó Fearghaíl said there was widespread dissatisfaction at how the Government had organised the priority statements saying the Opposition response had been unnecessarily fractured because the ministers’ statements had not been published or made available to the opposition TDs.
Earlier, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams attacked the Government’s austerity policies accusing the Coalition of recycling “the same old failed politics and the same old way of doing business”.
He questioned where Enda Kenny’s five-point plan had gone and listed a number of alternative policies the could be followed.
“The Government could introduce a 48% tax on income over €100,000, raising €365m. It does not do it. That is its choice.
“It could re-introduce the non-principal private residence charge at €400, raising €151m. It does not do that.”
The Louth TD added: “It could restore capital gains tax to 40%, raising €98m. Again, it does not do that. It could increase capital acquisitions tax to 40% and lower the thresholds, raising €108m. It could introduce a 1% wealth tax, even temporarily, on net wealth over €1m.”
