Should we sack the lot of them for absenteeism?

CONSIDERING that the Government has 90 deputies at its disposal, why were only 11 available last Friday?

Where were the rest of them? What was so important that it superseded the business of the Dáil?

If I didn't turn up to work I would be reprimanded. If I didn't have a sick note or prior approval I would be docked pay. If I continually skived off work I would be sacked.

The conditions of employment that apply to every salaried worker in Ireland do not appear to apply to our elected betters.

Considering that the topic up for debate last Friday was the Protection of the Environment Bill which will further erode what little remains of local democracy by removing responsibility for waste management planning and refuse charges from elected councillors to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats you would think that there would be a lot of interest from Government backbenchers, especially those with an interest in local matters.

The failure of the Government to provide a quorum again raises the issue of the deteriorating standard of parliamentary democracy in Ireland.

Perhaps the quorum is set so low that it encourages deputies to mitch off for a long weekend. Article 15.11.3 of the Constitution states:

"The number of members necessary to constitute a meeting of either House for the exercise of its powers shall be determined by its standing orders."

And Article 19 of the Standing Orders states: "The quorum necessary to constitute a meeting of the Dáil shall be 20 members." That means that only a mere 12% of deputies are required for a Dáil meeting.

Compare that to the constitutions of Australia, Austria and the Czech Republic which require the attendance of one-third of the members to constitute a meeting.

Or what about the constitutions of Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United States which require the attendance of a majority of members.

So did the Opposition indicate that they would enshrine a majority quorum in the Constitution? Sadly, no.

As usual they came out to complain about the inadequacies of the Government, but without providing a solution of their own.

The Opposition should consider adding to their next election manifesto a pledge to insert a majority quorum in the Constitution.

Possible wordings could be based on Article 24.1 of the Hungarian constitution, which states: "The Parliament has a quorum if no less than half of its members are present," or alternatively, Article 159.1 of the Swiss constitution, which states: "The Chambers may deliberate validly if the majority of its members are present."

Jason FitzHarris,

Oakpark,

Carlow.