Disruption expected in Irish parliament over proposed rule changes

The Irish Government has been accused of agreeing a “stinking, dirty deal” with independents, as a row over parliamentary speaking rights is due to come to a head on Tuesday.

The coalition is bringing forward significant modifications to the standing orders of the Dail, the lower house of Ireland’s parliament.

The opposition has said it will “fight tooth and nail” against the measures which the Government insists are “modest”.

The proposed changes include the creation of new speaking slots for coalition backbenchers and Government-aligned independents, a reduction of time for contributions on debating the order of business, and a halving of slots for Taoiseach’s Questions.

Leaders’ Questions on each sitting day of the Dail is unchanged.

Opposition parties argue the changes are an attempt to dilute their ability to hold the Government to account and to blur the relationship between the independents who have supported the formation of the coalition.

In a rare show of unity, the main opposition parties met to agree a response to the proposals which they believe the Government will “force through” without a debate.

The row has its origins in the formation of Ireland’s current coalition involving Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, supported by several independents.

Some of those independents have been appointed as junior ministers while the others had sought to join an opposition technical group for the purposes of speaking time, despite supporting the formation of Government.

The row delayed Micheal Martin’s nomination as Taoiseach in January and has trundled on despite several inter-party meetings and the intervention of the Ceann Comhairle, the speaker, in favour of the opposition.

This led to a brief reprieve before the dispute was reignited after the Government put forward a new proposal to change speaking time arrangements and suggested it would use its majority to push them through.

The coalition proposals deals with the matter of the government-aligned independents by creating a new designation of “other members”, rather than the binary distinction of opposition or government.

Opposition parties – Sinn Fein, Labour, the Social Democrats, Independent Ireland, Solidarity-People Before Profit and Aontu – are to protest against that decision when the Dail reconvenes on Tuesday.

There has been suggestion of the potential for widespread disruption, rather than a full walkout which would allow the Government to pass the changes.

The disruption is expected after the Dail reconvenes from 2pm, where there will be a Leaders’ Questions slot before the order of business is agreed.

Many of the independents which entered into Government negotiations were led by Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry – a former Fine Gael minister of state who was found by a tribunal to have behaved in a way that was “profoundly corrupt to a degree that was nothing short of breathtaking”.

Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of the largest opposition party Sinn Fein, said: “You can’t be in government and opposition at the same time – it is really as simple as that. And yet today, the Fianna Fail-Fine Gael Government will attempt a stroke designed to placate Michael Lowry and his group of TDs.”

She said the combined opposition will “fight tooth and nail” against the changes.

Independent Ireland TD Michael Collins said his party would do everything it can to stop the changes which benefit the Government-aligned independents from going through.

He said: “Taxpayers of this island have a right to know what’s the stinking, dirty deal that’s been done inside the Dail – behind the taxpayers’ back.”

Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon also described the proposals as a “grubby little deal” with Mr Lowry, and said the new speaking-time slot for other members would be akin to the Government “marking its own homework”.

Labour chief whip Duncan Smith said the changes are “utterly wrong”.

“This Government have attempted to subvert decades of parliamentary practice, they’ve collapsed the proceedings of the (committee on) Dail reform.”

A side-effect of the row is that parliamentary committees have also not reformed since the general election last year.

Opposition parties have raised uncertainty over whether the Government will seek to use the proposed new technical group for the purposes of getting more representation on committees.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy said he suspects the coalition will bring forward another change to the standing orders to use the grouping of government-aligned independents to increase its majority on committees.

Irish premier Micheal Martin has described the Government’s proposals as “modest” and described objections as “politically manufactured”.

Asked before Cabinet on Tuesday if he had any nerves about potential disruption in the Dail chamber, Mr Martin replied: “Not at all.”

The Taoiseach added: “I think the proposals are balanced, they’re modest. The opposition are losing no time at all, some opposition parties will gain more time, actually.

“And it seems to me that there needs to be some rebalancing and enabling backbench TDs to at least get an opportunity.”

Mr Martin, the leader of Fianna Fail, said he would continue to be the “most accountable prime minister in Europe”.

Fine Gael leader and Irish deputy premier Simon Harris likened the potential for opposition disruption to behaviour seen in a “creche”.

“There does need to be a sense of proportionality. Yes, it’s good to tease things through. Yes, we can have different perspectives. Yes, it’s a democracy.

“But the idea that you would say today ‘we don’t like the results of the Dail, we’re going to walk out and cause chaos’. I mean, come on – it’s not a creche.”