O'Rourke welcomes ruling on speaking rights

Sinn Fein's Deputy Darren O'Rourke has welcomed the statement from the Ceann Comhairle, Verone Murphy that she cannot recognise the Regional Independents as an ‘opposition’ technical group.

He called on the government to now make provision for these government TDs, including Meath East's Gillian Toole, to take their seats on the government benches, and to be allocated Dáil speaking time and committee positions from the government.

“This is a welcome statement from the Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy TD. The stand taken by the combined opposition has been vindicated: You cannot be in government and opposition at the same time.

“This is also a deeply embarrassing development for the government. They have fully backed Michael Lowry, Gillian Toole, Danny Healy-Rae and Barry Heneghan over the last two weeks. The combined opposition have stood our ground and it’s clear that the Irish people overwhelmingly support us in defending the rights of the opposition in a democracy.

“I note the Ceann Comhairle's comments that ‘the public statements made by Deputy Michael Lowry on behalf of the Regional Technical Group and those of Deputy Michael Healy-Rae and Danny Healy-Rae are extremely difficult to reconcile with a reasonable interpretation in plain English of the term ‘in Opposition’. I think all sensible people would agree!

“These TDs, including Meath East's Gillian Toole, were trying to pull the wool over people's eyes - claiming credit for the Programme for Government and full support for the government when that suited, then claiming to be the Independent opposition when that suited.

“An Taoiseach Micheál Martin and An Tánaiste Simon Harris must finally sort this mess out by allocating Dáil speaking time and committee positions to these government-supporting TDs just as they would to their own Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael back-benchers.”

Deputy O Rourke also hit back at Deputy Toole over her claims the opposition was trying to silence the Independent Voice.

Deputy O'Rouke said this was an extremely false claim and was “hypocritical in the extreme.”

“This is not a question of Independent TDs versus TDs in political parties, it's a question of government versus opposition.

“The truth of the matter is this: If Michael Lowry and Gillian Toole were allowed proceed as they wanted, it would have been opposition voices that were diminished or silenced. Some of these opposition TDs are, in fact, Independents.”

However, Deputy Toole said she never sought "opposition speaking rights" and called for a review of standing orders.