TWO FINE GAEL TDs have welcomed a surprise move by the Dáil Ceann Comhairle to give members of the newly-created Reform Alliance of former parliamentary members speaking rights in the Dáil.
The alliance of expelled Fine Gael TDs as well as deputies in Labour who have lost the party whip are to be allotted limited speaking time in Dáil debates following a decision by the Ceann Comhairle, Seán Barrett.
Eoghan Murphy, a Fine Gael TD and constituency colleague of expelled Lucinda Creighton, said today that deputies should be able to participate in Dáil debates as much as possible but said he was not sure if that could include Leaders’ Questions.
“I think they should be able to participate in the Dáil as fully as possible but to participate in Leaders’ Questions you’d have to have a leader of your group,” he said.
“In the Standing Orders at the moment there is only allowance for one technical group and one slot to ask leaders questions so we’ll have to wait and see what the Ceann Comhairle actually says about that.”
He said he welcomed the move with his party colleague Regina Doherty also saying she “absolutely” welcomed the decision.
Speaking earlier on the News at One, Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe, who was unaware of the Ceann Comhairle’s move when contacted last night, said he welcomed the “clarity” brought to the situation.
Kehoe said that “no member of any group had spoken to me about looking for speaking rights” but said he was “glad that the Ceann Comhairle has brought clarity to this”.
Murphy and Doherty were speaking at Leinster House today to launch Fine Gael’s Facebook ad campaigns for the Seanad referendum which seek to highlight that other countries have abolished their second chamber:
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