What's a Private Members Bill?

dahamsta

Dan Boyle tells me that the Green Party is formulating a private members bill on Tobin Tax that they hope to introduce to the Dáil -- pardon my ignorance, but what's a private members bill?

I'm guessing it's an opposition sponsored bill or something?

adam

I'd always assumed that time, was allotted by the speaker of the house for members of parliament to move their own bills and that this was subject to the order of business put down by the speaker or Ceann Chomhairle in our case.

They could become law, but usually don't as normally,being put foward by opposition parties or independents, they would not have enough support, unless un opposed.

I'm sure others here can elaborate.
From the Oireacthteas website:

A Private Member's Bill can be initiated by any member of the Dáil or Seanad, regardless of his or her political affiliation.

Like Government legislation the Private Member's Bill must be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas. In practice, the Government opposes all Private Members' Bills so it is very rare that a Bill will survive to become legislation.

Sometimes, Private Members' Bills are initiated by members of the Oireachtas simply to draw attention to an issue or to focus public debate on a gap in the law.

For example, in 1979, Fine Gael initiated a Private Member's Ombudsman Bill. This Bill was defeated but the debate that surrounded the issue prompted the Government to introduce similar legislation.

Rules
The Private Member's Bill cannot be started by any member of the Government, Minister of State, the Attorney General or leader of the House in the Seanad.

mm

sceptre

Man summed up what a PMB is pretty well. They rarely go anywhere. Can't remember the last time one was passed into law in Ireland, though they were pretty popular in the 1920s.

They're occasionally (very occasionally) used as a means of passing legislation that no party wants to take personal responsibility for. Like the law legalising abortion in the UK, passed via a PMB in 1967 (this may have been the last one passed into law in the UK). Governments won't often support them as they "have our own legislation in the works and it'll be better, you'll see"

dahamsta

Thanks guys. I suppose they're just used for leverage so?

adam

Sparks

More like Public Relations dahamsta.

DMC

The most recent PMB I remember was from a few years ago, when Fine Gael's John V. Farrelly wanted to introduce legislation to regulate door men/bouncers.

Fell on its arse. As did he in the last election.

Monasette

It is a useful way for the opposition to sometimes force the govt. to incorporate amendments into forthcoming legislation - the govt. kill the PMB but accept the gist of the bill into a govt. bill later on (allowing both sides to claim some kudos).
TDs from the govt. side are discouraged from proposing PMBs, since it would muck up the Govt's legislative timetable for the year (each bill has five stages).
If a PMB is opposed (as it usually is), the proposer has five minutes to outline the bill - the opposer has five minutes to oppose it, and then there is a vote (and that is usually the end of it).
In the UK (House of Commons), where there is a similar function, it is called the "Ten Minute Rule" (http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/fs04.pdf)