WANT TO KNOW what’s going on in Leinster House today?

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 will keeping an eye on

• Dáil: Leaders’ Questions – Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore will get a grilling from members of the Opposition at 12 noon.
• Dáil: Allowances: The Oireachtas Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Amendment Bill 2013 – which provides for a reduction of 10 per cent in the rates of the allowance payable and provides for improved auditing provisions to be applied to allowances paid to parliamentary leaders and allowances paid to qualifying independent members – will be discussed after 12.41pm.
• Committees: The Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and officials from the Department of Justice and Equality will be at the Public Accounts Committee in Room 1 at 10am where the penalty points controversy will be discussed.

Everything else that’s happening in the Dáil

• Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton will be answering questions in the Dáil at 9.30am.
• Discussions about the ESB (Electronic Communications Networks) Bill 2013 – which enables ESB to engage in electronic communications networks and electronic communications services – will continue on from yesterday at 10.45am and 12.41pm.
• The Order of Business will be taken at 12.21pm.
• This is followed by Topical Issues at 4.42pm.
• The Dáil adjourns at 5.30pm.

Everything else that’s happening in the Seanad

• Senators start the day by discussing anything and everything on the Order of Business from 10.30am.
• A motion regarding the early signature of the Local Government Reform Bill 2013 will be held without debate.
• Then the European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2013 will be discussed which will allow for the revision European Parliament constituencies and provide for the number of members to be elected for such constituencies.
• Following that, the Minister for the Environment will be in attendance to hear statements made on the recent storm damage and then it’s Matters on the Adjournment.

Everything else that’s happening in the Committees

• The role of national parliaments in the European Semester and the Annual Growth Survey 2014 will be discussed by the European Affairs Committee in Room 4 at 10am where Catherine Day, Secretary General of the European Commission will be in attendance.
• Cigarette packaging – the Assistant Garda Commissioner Derek Byrne, representatives from the Revenue Commissioners and the National Tobacco Control Office will be before the Health and Children Committee at 9.30am in Room 2 to discuss the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Bill 2013.
• The Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton will be before the Social Protection Sub-Committee in Room 3 at 1.30pm to discuss the revised estimates for the social welfare budget for 2014.
• The forthcoming resignation of Seán Ó Curreáin, the Coimisinéir Teanga will be discussed at the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language and Related Matters Sub-Committee in Room 4 at 12.15pm.
• The Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar will be at the Transport, Tourism and Sport Sub-Committee in Room 4 at 2pm to discuss his department’s revised estimates for public services.

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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