A lot done with last-minute bills, but Government will have more to do on Dáil's return

Politics is a hamster wheel of issues, new ones always arriving to keep the wheel spinning, writes Paul Hosford

On Wednesday evening, the press release account of President Catherine Connolly fired out five notices within the space of 40 minutes, all alerting the press that the President had signed into law a raft of legislation.  Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher

There is a pitfall in political journalism that is easy to fall into — relying on cliche or truism.

It is easy to describe scandals as GUBU — grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented — or simply affixing "gate" to the end of the principal issue.

In modern Irish politics, there can be a groansome reliance on the Fianna Fáil 2002 campaign slogan of "a lot done, more to do" when summing up the work of various political parties or departments, so we will try to desist.

But. If we had to. If we were forced. Would it be the worst way to sum up the last week of government work? Maybe not.

On Wednesday evening, the press release account of President Catherine Connolly fired out five notices within the space of 40 minutes, all alerting the press that the President had signed into law a raft of legislation. 

These concerned the right for cancer diagnoses to be forgotten when a customer is looking for insurance, the Finance Bill which gives effect to excise cuts on petrol and diesel, the National Treasury Management Agency (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill and the bill which bans single-use vapes.

On top of those bills, the Dáil this week passed a slew of bills like the Occupied Territories Bill, a bill establishing an AI regulation office and the Domestic Violence (Judgements) Register Bill 2026, known as Jennie's Law.

It is in this period of the Dáil schedule — the dying embers of the term — when this generally happens. The impending deadline of a 62-day recess can focus minds, it appears. The decks being cleared at this time of year is nothing new. 

In a 2021 letter, then President Higgins told the Ceann Comhairle and Cathaoirleach of the Seanad that in "the three weeks since the beginning of July", he had "been asked to consider 19 separate bills", with nine presented on one day, each needing to be signed within a week.

The President said the Dáil had "an unseemly end-of-term haste to have bills concluded", referring to his years as a parliamentarian.

President Connolly has not as yet raised any such concerns publicly, but the clearing of the decks has become a yearly tradition as bills appear like a well-timed run into the opposition box, arriving just in time. In the first seven months of the year, a total of 36 acts have been progressed, up from 32 in 2021.

But this trimming, if not emptying, of the inboxes for various ministers only highlights how much politics is a hamster wheel of issues, new ones always arriving to keep the wheel spinning. For this government, this summer will bring with it myriad issues, far away from those which may crop up — the unknown unknowns. 

In the immediate future, there is the thorny question of Aughinish Alumina and whether what is being produced at the Limerick plant is finding its way into the Russian war machine. A report by the Department of Enterprise will be discussed and submitted to the European Commission, but its findings are likely to pose questions about either jobs in the area or the veracity of Irish support for Ukraine.

Other issues, like the Triple Lock, the cost of petrol and Ireland's game with Israel, will continue to demand comment as the return of the Dáil begins to come into view, never mind October's Budget and all of the attendant kites to be flown there.

However much you think is done, there is always more to do.

• Paul Hosford, deputy political editor