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

ALL EYES WILL be on the big Dáil vote at 9pm – on whether to accept Sinn Féin’s demand that Ireland immediately legislate for the X Case – but there are plenty of other items on today’s agenda which should also merit attention (though not nearly to the same degree). 9:30am – Committee on Justice, […]

IT’S AN UNUSUAL day in the Oireachtas today – even though the Dáil is discussing a bill to legally limit the budget deficit, with a Budget only weeks away, the biggest topics of the day are in committee meetings. 9:30am – Committee on Transport and Communications – We begin with a topic which always provokes quite […]

AS WITH YESTERDAY, today’s Dáil business is largely taken up by occupying loose ends, meaning the meat of the day will probably be seen elsewhere – though there are still important bits and pieces being discussed at all levels. 9:30am – Jobs, Social Protection and Innovation – The day begins in Room 3, where Richard Bruton […]

The Dáil is back on duty today in an intensive three-day blitz to wrap up its consideration of the Budget’s Social Welfare provisions, while there’s some interesting other bits and pieces in the houses. 10:30am – Order of Business – The Seanad begins its day with its standard 75-minute free-for-all allowing members to raise matters of varying […]

It’s a relatively low-octane resumption of duties, with more interesting matters coming later in the week, but nonetheless there are some interesting nuggets around the houses. 2:00pm – Questions (Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform) – Brendan Howlin takes his regular batch of ministerial questions, with sensitive timing given the impending public sector retirement explosion. Today […]

A contentious – and no doubt, regularly fraught – week in the Oireachtas this week, with the passage of legislation on septic tanks and next week’s EU summit looming large. 2:00pm – Questions (Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform) – Brendan Howlin kicks off the week with his first Dáil appearances since the Budget was announced. […]

While the Dáil’s day is broken up into simple chunks, three committee meetings will see three ministerial visits – while the Seanad keeps the legislative fires burning. Here’s Thursday’s schedule. 10:00am – Public Accounts Committee – Thursday’s sittings begin with the usual Room 1 convening of the Public Accounts Committee, who will – unusually – have […]

It’s a second five-day week in a row, as the Dáil votes itself to all things Budget-y while the Seanad takes care of the legislative business. And so it all begins… 2:30pm – Statements on Expenditure – Brendan Howlin kicks off the Budget season with a 30-minute address to the Dáil in which he will outline […]

Today most eyes will be on the government’s press conference (at noon, on this stream) where the government will outline its plans for cutting the public sector, and update us on which quangos are likely to be culled. All in all, then, another busy day, so here’s what to expect… 10am – Public Accounts Committee – […]

The Seanad’s programme today is a strange one, but committees and the Dáil itself have some toothy issues to get into. 10:00am – Public Accounts Committee – Thursdays begin as they usually do – with the Public Accounts committee putting the C&AG report under scrutiny. This week their theme is charitable donations, and army/defence force spending […]