Opposition parties to enter amendment to Government’s speaking rights motion

Opposition parties are set to enter an amendment to the Government’s motion to change Dail rules, which the Sinn Fein leader said will “solve” the row over speaking rights.

Mary Lou McDonald vowed that opposition parties will “face the Government down” on the deepening row, which has been ongoing since the formation of the Government.

In an attempt to resolve the dispute, Government put down a motion at the Dail Reform Committee to create new rules on speaking rights for a new grouping of “other members”.

The measure, which is to be voted on next Tuesday, would also allocate more time to backbenchers of the Government parties.

Members of the opposition have challenged a decision to allow four Government-aligned TDs – Michael Lowry, Barry Heneghan, Danny Healy-Rae and Gillian Toole – speaking time from the opposition.

Speaking in Belfast on Friday, Ms McDonald said Sinn Fein have made joint submissions with opposition parties to enter an amendment to the Government’s motion.

“The Government claim that they simply want to make room for Michael Lowry and his colleagues, for other colleagues on the Government benches to have an opportunity to speak. Our amendment solves that problem for them,” Ms McDonald told reporters.

“I suspect that the Government will reject our amendment because this row actually isn’t about speaking time for government, members of government or government TDs.

“This is all about the Government not wishing to be held fully to account. It’s about trying to frustrate or blunt the efforts of the combined opposition to represent people, to hold the Government to account, and to ensure that not just politics, but that democracy itself works.

“We have the ongoing farce of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael trying to make believe that you can be in government and opposition at the same time. You cannot.

“Michael Lowry and his crew are government-supporting TDs. Of course, they have to be able to speak from the government benches and on government time.

“The reason why this has been such a potent issue for all of us, not just in Sinn Fein, all across the opposition benches, is that we know that it is absolutely essential that this government is held to account and that the Irish electorate know that Irish democracy is being respected and that you cannot have a government that simply now wants to dominate the government benches and blunt and disrupt the efforts of opposition.

“That’s not an acceptable thing, and it shouldn’t be an acceptable thing to anybody across Irish society.”

She said she spoke to other opposition leaders on Friday morning about the issue, and has pledged to “face the Government”.

Opposition parties, including the Labour party, Social Democrats and People Before Profit, are planning to meet next week to finalise their joint approach to resolve the “serious” matter.

“It’s not about who gets five minutes or 10 minutes here or there,” she added.

“This is fundamentally about defining government and opposition, and that clear definition of government acting and opposition holding to account, is the essence of democratic accountability and our whole democratic system.”