Citizens’ Assembly committee arrangements
Deputy Ruth Coppinger asks how the Citizens’ Assembly findings will be handled and whether they will go to an all-party committee. The Taoiseach says it will be sent seamlessly to an all-party committee when the report is received.
Regarding the legislative programme and the Dáil's business schedule, how will the findings of the Citizens' Assembly be handled? At the weekend it was reported in the newspapers that there had been an argument about whether they should be dealt with by the health committee or, as the Taoiseach told us when questioned, an all-party committee on which all parties and groups would be represented. Groups affected by the issue, for example, Terminations for Medical Reasons, are concerned that it be an all-party committee and specialist committee, one that would allow each group to have a say, unlike the health committee which is burdened by many other matters. When will the committee be convened? We should not sit and wait for the Citizens' Assembly to revert to us. It has until June next year to report. Groups are calling for the committee to be convened now in order that it could meet.
Since next week will be the last sitting week, will the Taoiseach tell the House whether the issue of Traveller ethnicity will be dealt with before or after Christmas?
Comment on this
The Minister of State, Deputy David Stanton, is working on the latter subject raised by the Deputy. There would be no point in setting up a specialist committee now because the Citizens' Assembly has not reported and is not due to report for some time, but it will be a special committee, an all-party committee of the House.
Comment on this
There are other things the Taoiseach could do.