Tóibín bill will end role of ministers without a mandate to stay in office

Pictured above: Regina Doherty stayed on in the role of Minister for Social Protection despite losing her seat in the February general election.

The Aontú Bill that will necessitate the replacement of unelected ministers and junior ministers in a caretaker government with elected TDs after an election has past first stage in the Dáil.

Aontú leader and Meath West TD, Peadar Tóibín, says: "For 140 days after the General Election we had a taoiseach with no mandate, a cabinet with unelected ministers, a legislature that could not legislate and a newly elected Dáil with very little ability to scrutinise or hold to account.

“That this democratic deficit would be allowed to continue for so long in the teeth of a such a crisis was absolutely wrong. In no other sector of Irish society would such a dysfunctional decision-making process be allowed.

"This government without a mandate made enormous decisions with long-lasting ramifications for the economy and future of the Irish people. This is no small issue and it needs to be fixed to prevent it happening again".

He continued: "The Aontú Bill, which passed first stage, if implemented, would in future, bring to an end unelected ministers such as Regina Doherty, Shane Ross, Katherine Zappone and ministers of state such as Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, Michael D’Arcy, Catherine Byrne, Pat Breen and Finian McGrath remaining in office indefinitely on a ministerial salary.

“This would give some effect to the democratic process, improve accountability of ministers and would save the state money. It is estimated that the practice of maintaining unelected ministers costed the state €40,000 a week.

“There was also a potential exposure to the exchequer in terms of increased pensions in the future as the terms of ministers and the taoiseach are undemocratically prolonged".

The Aontú Bill seeks to ensure the prompt appointment of successors to ministers and ministers of state who have as a result of a general election ceased to be members of the Oireachtas.

The Bill proposes that six weeks after a general election has elapsed, a taoiseach must with the approval of the Dáil, nominate for appointment by the President the successors in office of those ministers who have ceased to be members of the Oireachtas.