A shortage of Leinster House staff and resources could block a Dail inquiry due to begin next month into a CIE signalling contract, which has gone tens of millions of pounds over budget, the Ceann Comhairle, Mr Seamus Pattison, has warned.
In a letter to Oireachtas committee chairpersons, Mr Pattison has demanded guarantees that the work of all other committees be halted for the duration of oral hearings by the Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport sub-committee.
More than 100 witnesses have been told to be ready to give evidence about the Mini-CTC signalling contract to the subcommittee, which is scheduled to begin its work on September 10th.
The inquiry's chairman, the Fianna Fail TD Mr Sean Doherty, hopes to conclude oral evidence in a month, although the "vast amount of paperwork" means that it could last much longer, he admitted.
In the wake of the successful Public Accounts Committee investigation into the banks' failure to collect DIRT tax, Oireachtas officials examined the strains created by the 14month-long investigation.
"The direct conclusion was that the DIRT inquiry process could not be repeated," the Ceann Comhairle wrote on July 23rd to the Fianna Fail TD Mr Tony Killeen, who presides over a working group consisting of the chairpersons of Oireachtas committees.
The DIRT inquiry, which drew on up to two dozen staff at some stages, held public sessions during Dail and Seanad recesses, and while other Oireachtas committees were not sitting.
Since then, however, the number of committees has grown. In addition, the committees are planning to hold a significant number of meetings during September, some of them on the tobacco industry.
Earlier this year the Leas Ceann Comhairle, Dr Rory O'Hanlon, told committee chairpersons that they would have to scale down their activities once the inquiry by the Committee on Justice, Equality and Law Reform into the Abbeylara shooting of Mr John Carthy began.
"This letter, I regret to say, was largely ignored by the majority of committee chairman," said the Ceann Comhairle, who is responsible for assigning staff.
"I therefore have to ask for a formal commitment for the duration of the hearings into the Mini-CTC signalling project, or the alternative is that the subcommittee on the CTC may be unable to complete their inquiry in the time frame envisaged.
"In the absence of such a commitment I may be obliged to communicate directly with the chairperson of the sub-committee to the effect that my office is not in a position to provide the necessary staff resources for his inquiry."
Replying, Mr Killeen told the Ceann Comhairle it was difficult to see how the ongoing work of the committees could be "simply suspended" for such a crucial period. On August 1st the Ceann Comhairle wrote back and accepted that each of the Oireachtas committees had demanding schedules.
However, he warned again that he would be obliged to deny Mr Doherty the resources he required unless concessions were offered by his colleagues.
The battle for resources will spur TDs to push for financial independence for the Houses of the Oireachtas. Currently, the Oireachtas has to lobby the Department of Finance for increases.
"This is ridiculous. No other parliament in the Western world has to do that. It suits the Department of Finance not to have a properly resourced parliament," one TD complained.
