Cut that break - Dáil holidays

The Dáil is back after time off for the local and European Parliament elections, and a worry for the Government’s business managers is that there are now a mere 14 sitting days remaining before it closes down for the summer break.

That will not leave ample time for TDs to debate and vote on the pile of bills that’s been mounting up, and for questions and discussions on the many pressing issues facing the country, such as overruns at the national children’s hospital, the homelessness crisis, the broadband plan cost, and the Stormont stalemate.

But if this is a real problem for the Government and for our elected representatives, it’s one entirely of their own making. TDs — happy to accept substantial salaries — have shown little to no interest in changing the part-time parliamentary timetables inherited from English aristocrats.

There’s an obvious fix to easing the Dáil’s workload: TDs can cut the generous two-month break to a mere four weeks.

Their sacrifice will be widely, albeit briefly, applauded.