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

THIS PARLIAMENTARY TUESDAY is a little more crowded that usual; an extra multitude of committee meetings that the day features many more third parties than usual, and more fora for them to appear in. 11:30am – Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade – One of the hot topics of the season, Ireland’s overseas aid, gets […]

IT’S A LOW-OCTANE return to duty in Leinster House today, as eyes begin to drift toward this Thursday’s meeting of the European Council in Brussels. A few miscellaneous bits and bobs around the houses, but today won’t be a day to live long in the memory from a parliamentary viewpoint. 1:30pm – Committee on Jobs, […]

THE DÁIL week this week is largely a collection of loose ends and bits-and-bobs, with the summer break beginning to creep into the horizon, so the meat of the week will actually in other places. At the time of writing, it should be noted, there was no confirmation on whether Mick Wallace would be subject […]

The last day of the month sees the start of another four-day week in the Seanad, which hopes to wrap up the Social Welfare Bill in time for an early signature. 12:00pm – Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012 (committee and remaining stages) – With no votes on any amendments last week, it’ll be a division-packed […]

A lengthy day of business across 13 hours, from committee business in the morning, through the Dáil’s consideration of contentious amendments to the Budget’s Social Welfare plans, and the Seanad wrapping up some other outstanding bills. 9:45am – Jobs, Social Protection and Innovation – Continuing last week’s overarching discussions on unemployment and particularly youth unemployment, members […]

On Tuesday morning we thought the Wednesday business would be quiet – and along came a referendum. On Wednesdya we thought Thursday could be demure… and then off goes Éamon Ó Cuív. And in spite of all that, there’s still the usual mixture of barbs and questions to keep things busy… 10:30am – Leaders’ Questions – […]

The contentious passage of the legislation requiring mandatory inspection of Septic Tanks comes to a head today, while there are also some other interesting contributions ahead of next week’s business. 10:00am – Public Accounts Committee – It’s a varied programme in Room 1 for the PAC; among the four items it will discuss is the State’s […]

Legislative business in the Houses is fairly routine but there are certainly some other events that could be worth keeping an eye on. Here’s what’s in store: 9:30am – Jobs, Social Protection and Education – As per usual, Room 3 is where the day begins, where members will hear Ciaran Cannon give a briefing on the […]

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 […]

[Updated at 2:03pm] Following on in my experimental phase ahead of the summer recess (see yesterday), today is the second in a series of daily updates with what’s going on in Leinster House. I’m going to try a more structured, less prosaic approach today to see how it works. Watch this space.