Designing effective parliamentary inquiries: lessons learned from the oireachtas banking inquiry

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorDonson, Fiona
dc.contributor.authorO'Donovan, Darren
dc.date.accessioned2018-08-23T08:42:17Z
dc.date.available2018-08-23T08:42:17Z
dc.date.issued2017-01
dc.date.updated2018-01-17T14:33:09Z
dc.description.abstractIreland’s Oireachtas inquiry mechanisms are generally regarded as having been hamstrung by the decision of the Supreme Court in Ardagh v Maguire. This perception of a ‘legal straightjacket’ has been heightened by the public’s reluctance to entrust politicians with investigative powers, as embodied in the loss of the 30th amendment vote. In this article, however, we argue that a marginalised or weak parliamentary inquiry mechanism is not an inevitable consequence of the Ardagh decision. We analyse the manner in which the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013 has produced a self-imposed restrictive inquiry structure oversensitive to possible litigation. Reflecting on the operation of the Banking Inquiry, we trace how inquiry design is unduly shaped by the ‘chilling effects’ of litigation rather than other variables. We argue that the Banking Inquiry experience stands as an object lesson as to the importance of developing clear terms of reference which match the qualities of parliamentary investigation to an appropriate subject matter. Overall, this article highlights that, for the Irish constitutional order, greater engagement is needed with the full range of variables which shape the creation, operation and effectiveness of parliamentary review.en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationDonson, F. and O'Donovan, D. (2017) 'Designing Effective Parliamentary Inquiries: Lessons Learned from the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry', Dublin University Law Journal, 39 (2).en
dc.identifier.issn0332-3250
dc.identifier.issued2en
dc.identifier.journaltitleDublin University Law Journalen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/6636
dc.identifier.volume39en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherClarus Press; Trinity College Dublinen
dc.relation.urihttp://www.dulj.ie/Volume-39_2_2016.html
dc.rights© Trinity College Dublin 2017. This is the accepted manuscript version of the article published in final form in Dublin University Law Journal 2016 39 (2).en
dc.subjectOireachtas inquiryen
dc.subjectBankin inquiryen
dc.subjectFair Procedureen
dc.subjectAdministrative Justiceen
dc.subjectIrish Constitutionen
dc.titleDesigning effective parliamentary inquiries: lessons learned from the oireachtas banking inquiryen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
DODonovan_FDonson_final.docx
Size:
98.73 KB
Format:
Microsoft Word XML
Description:
Author's original
Thumbnail Image
Name:
4680_DODonovan_FDonson_final.pdf
Size:
316.03 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Accepted version
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
2.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Law - Journal Articles