agenda.ie a guide to what's going on in Leinster House

Something worth noting from the Seanad – today the upper house amended its standing orders allowing it to receive visits from ‘persons in public and civil life’.

Of course, in practical terms it’s a bit moot – by the same token it didn’t have the right, in theory, to enjoy a visit from the President of the European Parliament – but it’s a nice gesture that should see some visitors from the world-at-large passing into the Big Blue Ballroom in the next term.

It also passed a motion to form a ‘Seanad Public Petitions Committee’, which will deal with organising and accruing public submissions on matters it deems appropriate. Its membership is the same as Seanad ‘Committee of Selection‘.