Government seeks changes to stop delays in scrutiny of bills

Pre-legislative committee process of checking bills has been lauded for saving on revisions and improving democracy, but has been taking up to a year

Jack Chambers, the government chief whip, said he wanted to work constructively with opposition parties to identify ways to address certain legislative delays. Picture: Photocall

The government is seeking ways to require Oireachtas committees to speed up the pre-legislative scrutiny of bills, amid concerns over delays to key legislation.

Under Dáil procedures, the draft versions of new government bills must be examined by a relevant Oireachtas committee and its members must then produce a report before the bill can proceed.

However, some committees are taking up to a year to complete this process. This is longer than it takes ...