End of Dáil term - Rushing bills is an abuse of power

The current parliamentary term ends today with the usual rush of legislation. This is a deliberate ploy to ram through controversial legislation.

Last month deputies went home early because there was not enough legislation for them to debate. Last week they rushed through seven new bills in four days. Today they are ramming through three bills.

The backlog in legislation was allowed to develop and the bills are now being rushed through to avoid embarrassment by the opposition. The guillotine is used to limit debating time, but the process is being abused to a ridiculous degree.

The law introducing a property tax on second homes was rushed through this week, along with the Defamation Bill, which introduces the new crime of blasphemous libel. The Defamation Bill was first published on July 7, 2006. Justice Minister Dermot Ahern might seem to have justification in arguing that there was plenty of time to debate the issues over the years. But he introduced six amendments at the final stage and only allowed an hour to debate them.

If the Dáil were a fish shop, people would say the place stinks. This is simply not the way to conduct business. The main function of the Dáil is to pass legislation. It has a duty to examine bills carefully and consider the likely consequences and full implications before passing the legislation. Its most important work should not be crammed into the last two weeks of a term, while much of the rest of the time is devoted to political posturing in the leisurely pursuit of issues, often of more local than national interest.

The Criminal Justice Amendment Bill – with some of the most significant legislative changes in the history of the state – is being rushed through with just five hours debate last Friday and a further 90 minutes today. The rash handling of these matters inspires no confidence.

Within the past year this Government has already engaged in some astonishing U-turns – on the medical cards for pensioners, the levy for people earning less than the minimum wage, cuts to disability allowances, stopping the ministerial pensions of serving members of the Oireachtas, and introducing the property tax proposal on mobile homes. It got it spectacularly wrong on all those issues.

Legislation of such profound significance as the Criminal Justice Amendment Bill should not be rammed through the Oireachtas. With the country in the midst of crisis, it reflects no credit on the legislators to be seen to be shirking their real duties in an indecent haste to head off on their three-month break.