Another test of the Greens will be the increase in sitting days of the Dail promised (Via Irish Election)

more than double Dáil sitting time with sittings running 45 weeks per year Monday afternoons to Friday lunchtimes from 9.30am to 7pm

And there are more issues arising in the Dail – the Taoiseach skips Leaders Questions to go to the ICTU conference, and has begun to stop answering questions which his department is responsible for – the Attorney General’s office and the State Solicitor’s Office. It is part of a wider trend to deflect attention onto State Agencies and consultants and resist accountability.

Can you believe it, there are 450 state agencies/bodies according to the Ombudsman

Over the years there has been a hiving off of functions which were traditionally within the remit of Ministers and their Departments and the creation of new single-purpose agencies, for example, FÁS, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Health and Safety Authority. The practice of creating new agencies has accelerated in more recent times. There are now over 450 such bodies in existence, only a handful of which come within my remit as Ombudsman even though, paradoxically, many do come within the scope of freedom of information legislation.

(Irish Examiner) The Ombudsman – State agencies must be open to scrutiny

Effectively, the administration’s ingrained conservatism in the face of change has given rise to what can only be described as a blanket policy of concealment. This explains the aura of secrecy shrouding far-reaching decisions by faceless public servants in the corridors of power. It goes without saying the clouds of anonymity militate against the public interest especially as decisions can have such a devastating impact on people’s lives.

(RTE) Ombudsman criticises office’s limitations

It was Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left that brought in the Freedom of Information Act for those of ye that believe that they would act the same in office.

UPDATE: from RTE.ie

TDs have voted down an Opposition attempt to curtail the Dáil holidays, which begin this evening.

The House will now return on 26 September.

The Green Party, frequently the most vocal opponents of the long vacation, was silent on the issue this morning and Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte pointedly reminded the party of their stance on the issue 12 months ago.