WHAT’S GOING ON in Leinster House?

Every day the Dáil and Seanad are sitting, TheJournal.ie brings you the most comprehensive guide to what our lawmakers are getting up to in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

So, here is what we can expect to be happening in the Dáil, Seanad and Committee rooms today…

3 things we’ll be keeping an eye on

• Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be answering Leaders’ Questions at 12 pm as the Opposition grill him on a variety of topics.
• Assistant Garda Commissioner John Twomey of the Garda National Traffic Bureau will appear before the Transport Committee in Room 4 at 9.30 am to discuss difficulties in obtaining convictions arising from summonses based on evidence obtained by the Go Safe speed detection vehicle.
• As we approach May’s upcoming elections, the Public Service Oversight Committee will be examining how ballot papers used at referenda and elections are designed in Room 3 at 4 pm.

Everything else that’s happening in the Dáil

• Social Protection Minister Joan Burton will be answering questions related to her department at 9.30 am.
• The Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014 will be debated at 10.45 am. The Bill seeks to merge the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency into one body, further regulate the grocery sector and amend the law relating to media mergers.
• The Order of Business will be read at 12.21 pm.
• Topical Issues will be discussed at 1.51 pm, where just about anything could come up.
• Debate on the Competition and Consumer Protection Bill will resume at 2.39 pm. Following this, discussion on the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance will take place. The Opposition are likely to once again question when the public will know how much the new system will cost.
• The second round of debate on Fianna Fáil’s motion on “nationwide concern and disquiet about the provision of ambulance services” will continue during Private Members Business at 7.30 pm.
• The Dáil will adjourn at 9 pm.

Everything happening in the Seanad

• The Order of Business will be read at 10.30 am
• The Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2014 will be discussed at 11.45 am. The Bill proposes changing the Electoral Act 1992 and the European Parliament Elections Act 1997 to allow people who have been declared as bankrupt to run for election.
• A Bill seeking to amend the exclusions of discriminations available in the Employment Equality Act 1998 to educational and medical institutions that receive State funding will be debated at 3 pm.
• Issues surrounding end-of-life care and bereavement will be the focus of conversation during Private Members Business at 4.30 pm.
• Taoiseach Enda Kenny will join a debate on the terms of reference for the Commission of Investigation into a number of issues surrounding An Garda Síochána, including the taping of phone calls at Garda stations, at 7 pm.
• Afterwards, Matters on the Adjournment will be discussed.

Everything else that’s happening in the Committees

• The Environment Committee will discuss the priorities and challenges facing the Environment Department over the next few years in Room 1 from 10 am.
• Representatives from the Dublin Technological University Alliance Steering Group, Institutes of Technology Ireland, the DIT Students Union and IBEC will be among those making statements to the Education Committee in Room 3 at 1 pm on the Technological Universities Bill, which looks at merging ITs.
• Dr Thomas Pierret of the University of Edinburgh will brief the Foreign Affairs Committee on the ongoing crisis in Syria in Room 1 at 2.30 pm.
• Finance Minister Michael Noonan will join the Finance Committee in Room 4 at 6 pm to discuss the Central Bank Bill 2014, which proposes transferring assets from building societies to banks and examines how the EU will provide financial assistance to Greece.

Here’s how to watch what’s going on in Leinster House today:

• Dáil Éireann
• Seanad Éireann
• Committee Room 1
• Committee Room 2
• Committee Room 3
• Committee Room 4
• To access streams on iOS, click here

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