THERE WAS SOME wrangling in the Dáil today over whether it was appropriate for TDs to wait another eight days to meet and debate issues such as the housing crisis, and hospital waiting lists.
The Dáil had been scheduled to reconvene on 14 April, but before this afternoon’s votes for Taoiseach, several deputies insisted on bringing that date forward.
Tipperary Independent Seamus Healy said:
It is vital that this Dáil be able to hold the Government and its various Ministers to account… It is absolutely urgent that the Dáil should reconvene tomorrow and again on Tuesday next…
Richard Boyd Barrett added:
We simply cannot wait for the game that is being played by the main political parties to deal with [the housing crisis].
And Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald called for a debate on housing and homelessness before next Thursday, saying the “hiatus” until then “brings this House and the Oireachtas into public disrepute.”
You can read the full debate here.
Ultimately, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó’Fearghaíl put the question – whether the Dáil should wait until 14 April to meet again – to a vote.
Here’s how it turned out:
As you can see, the division was fairly simple.
Every TD from Sinn Féin, AAA-PBP, the Social Democrats, the Green Party and almost all Independents – 56 in total – voted against delaying Dáil debate until 14 April.
Every TD from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour – 100 in total – voted to wait until next Thursday to meet again.
They were joined by Independent deputy Maureen O’Sullivan, who explained her vote to TheJournal.ie this evening:
I believe we need another week to form a government, and to me that’s the priority. I was voting in favour of giving another week for that to happen.
The motion was carried, and the Dáil will not meet again until next Thursday.
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