2013 Press Releases
First-time TDs report feeling overwhelmed
First-time TDs report feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and beleaguered by life in the Dáil according to a UCC report.
Although most of the 76 new TDs professed anonymously in a the UCC study to “loving” their job, they were confronted with practical problems in the Dáil itself and perceived a lack of influence.
The study by Dr Mary Murphy, Department of Government, UCC involved successive surveys of the new TDs in 2011 and 2012, the results of which were published last night.
The report calls for a more sophisticated induction process focused explicitly on developing TDs’ knowledge, skills and abilities.
“Frustration among new TDs is palpable, and many are troubled by the nature of the institution. A new Fine Gael TD recalled how he once spoke to the empty Dáil chamber, another bemoaned the quality of debate and others queried the value of Question Time.”
The report found that TDs were faced with a deluge of information on their arrival in the Dáil, on top of immediate constituency demands and a “stressful” media environment.
In spite of these difficulties, 84% of respondents of the 2011 survey aspired to make politics a long term career and 82% wished to become a minister.
Read the full report http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/
Or a report in the Irish Examiner http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2013/0718/world/first-time-tds-aposfrustratedapos-by-the-workload-237186.html