After a week-long break, lawmakers will reconvene at Leinster House. During the recess, various Ministers travelled to several significant international cities for the presentation of the yearly St Patrick’s Day events. However, their assembly at the house will be short-lived as only two sittings are planned before the next fortnightly break begins.
Opposition members are expected to demand a Q&A session with Roderic O’Gorman, the Integration Minister, to discuss the unfolding situation at Mount Street, Dublin, in recent days. Following the government’s declaration last year that it couldn’t host all lone male asylum seekers, an improvised tent city of over 100 tents was erected near Mount Street’s International Protection Office building. Media attention on the deteriorating conditions at the site increased last week, and the men were relocated by the weekend.
Michael McGrath is set to brief Ministers on the newly proposed fiscal regulations currently undergoing the official EU legislative approval process.
The men were transported via bus to an unoccupied facility in southwest Dublin, Crooksling, where they were provided new tents to set up on the compound. However, a few of these homeless asylum seekers soon returned to the city centre, with new tents resurfacing at Mount Street. The conditions at Crooksling were deemed “miserable” and “intensely cold” by some asylum seekers.
The situation highlights a core accusation by Opposition parties against the government, arguing it lacks a persuasive long-term immigration policy and tends to react rather than anticipate. The situation at Mount Street, along with the broader homeless crisis, continues to reflect poorly on the Coalition.
Jade Wilson and Martin Wall’s reporting indicates two demonstrations occurred outside Dublin’s Government Buildings on Tuesday, with participants demanding better treatment for asylum seekers.
Ministers will meet today for their weekly Cabinet discussion, where they will have no shortage of matters to contemplate, one worthy of note being the resounding failures in the family and care referendums.
A memorandum from the Finance Minister, Michael McGrath, could instigate an overhaul of the budgetary procedure, as revealed by reporter, Jack Horgan-Jones. The European Union has put forth a plan requiring each of its member countries to formulate specific middle-term budgetary blueprints. Every member state will be obliged to present a four or five-year fiscal plan detailing their net expenditure for future years. Following approval by the European Council, there will be constraints prohibiting deviation from these plan during their term of existence, contingent upon the tenure of a country’s parliament.
However, allowances are made for new governments elected within this period to adopt a fresh budgetary plan. The act of signalling one’s budget plan is set to become increasingly intriguing.
In Fine Gael news, Varadkar faces escalating difficulties as Ciarán Cannon announced his withdrawal from the upcoming general elections. This makes Cannon the eleventh member of Fine Gael to recede from the upcoming polls. As highlighted by Pat Leahy, this recent resignation adds to the growing discomfort within Fine Gael. Leahy emphasises the emergence of potential future leaders within the party, but notes unease regarding the party’s trajectory, potential, and occasional doubts about its leadership.
The planned station for Metrolink at St Stephen’s Green in Dublin might intrude on one of the city’s renowned cultural heritage landmarks and permanently disrupt one of its remaining tranquil havens, according to the Heritage Council.
Denis Staunton reports about the recent adaptation of a national security law by Hong Kong aiming at stifling resistance. Michael D Higgins criticises the immorality of choosing sides amidst the famine in Gaza. Further reports originate from Russia fabricating news and impeachment info on Ukraine.
In terms of the political timetable in the Dáil, the day will transpire from 2pm to 10pm, featuring Leader’s Questions, Taoiseach’s Questions, and Topical Issues, in addition to pre-meet statements for this week’s European Council gathering.
Today, the Seanad’s work schedule is brief, beginning at noon and concluding at half past four in the afternoon. A key item on the agenda is the examination of The Court Proceedings Bill, a legislation that guarantees legal redress for the violation of the right to fair hearing, in both civil and criminal matters, within a reasonable timeframe.
On the flip side, a feud has erupted among members of the Oireachtas special committee on assisted dying, as reported by Jack Horgan-Jones. The committee’s chair, Michael Healy-Rae, has been accused of attempting to sabotage the committee’s final report just before its launch. Healy-Rae had previously communicated to TDs and Senators his intention to release a minority report after the final one was published. The chair specified that he planned on presenting a number of dissenting suggestions on behalf of three opposing committee members. These recommendations are in response to the final report’s suggestion to enact laws on assisted death.
Inside the Oireachtas health committee, HSE chief Bernard Gloster will make a presentation. Despite the current recruitment freeze, he is set to discuss his plans to employ thousands of healthcare workers. Gloster would also discuss the HSE’s highest ever workforce count and will reflect on how, even during the peak of the hiring halt last December, the employee count increased by 933.
Furthermore, the committee on finance will debate Sinn Féin’s proposed Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill of 2023. The legislation aims to force the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) to relinquish all existing assets and halt future investments in any companies identified in the UN’s database of companies operating in the settlements. Certain elements of the bill, such as the proposal to use the UN’s database, are expected to draw criticism from officials.