Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Professor Farrell is very hard on himself. That is a fair enough answer to it.

He spoke at length about removing the Whips from committees. Let me quote to him a statement in recent weeks by a Deputy who called a vote at a committee. He stated:

What happened subsequently was that members of the Select Committee who were absent had to be substituted so seven substitutions were made.

Seven TDs then arrived in to vote on this incredibly important issue that affects many vulnerable students’ lives and they barely knew what committee they were standing in let alone what issue they were voting on.

This is something that happens across the board whereby members are substituted when a vote is called. How important or unimportant is it that Members of the Oireachtas actually know what they are voting on before they cast their vote?