Published on: Nov 24, 2010
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last week, you’ll know that a general election is imminent. What you might not realise is that under a little know Dail rule, any legislation which is in progress when an election is called is thrown out and must start all over again. This means that if the MUD bill isn’t enacted into law before the election, it could be another year before we get this opportunity again. The bill is 99% completed – it just requires a vote in the Dail and the presidents signature for it to become law.
If you want to see it done now, contact your local TD (preferably FF or Green) immediately. There is a list of TDs by constituency online so it’s easy to find yours.
You should also contact the chief whips of all the parties. These guys collectively decide the order of business for the Dail so they need to hear from you. They are:
* John Curran (FF) for Dublin Mid-West – john.curran@oir.ie – 01 457 9913
* Emmet Stagg (Labour) for Kilare North – emmet.stagg@oireachtas.ie – 01-6183013
* Paul Kehoe (FG) for Wexford – paul.kehoe@finegael.ie – 01 618 4438
If we keep telling TDs how important this legislation is to us, hopefully we can make sure they schedule it before it’s too late!