DÁIL VOTING:THE GOVERNMENT faces technically losing its majority in the Dáil after Martin Cullen resigns his seat. Its continued survival will depend on the three Fianna Fáil TDs who have lost the party whip.
The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party will be down to 71 TDs when Mr Cullen leaves the Dáil, compared to the 78 seats it won in the last general election or 79 if the then Independent Beverly Cooper Flynn is included.
The party was down one seat at the beginning of the 30th Dáil with the election of John O’Donoghue as ceann comhairle.
The death of Séamus Brennan, the resignation of Wicklow TD Joe Behan from the party, the election of Pat “Cope” Gallagher to the European Parliament, and Mr Cullen’s resignation will bring the number of party TDs down to 74.
Three other TDs, Dr Jim McDaid, Dr Jimmy Devins and Eamon Scanlon, resigned from the parliamentary party, but remain Fianna Fáil members and have consistently voted with the party in the Dáil. It leaves the party with an effective strength of 74.
The support of the six Green Party TDs, the two former Progressive Democrats and two Independents, Jackie Healy-Rae and Michael Lowry, brings the total voting strength of the Government up to 84 seats in the Dáil, which currently has 163 members.
On the Opposition side, Fine Gael has 51 TDs with the departure of George Lee, the Labour Party has 20, Sinn Féin has four, and two Independents Finian McGrath and Maureen O’Sullivan usually vote against the Government. Mr Behan cannot be counted on by either side. If Mr Behan is included, the total Opposition strength comes to 78.
The coalition could lose another Dáil vote if it is forced to disown Mr Lowry after the publication of the Moriarty tribunal report. The steady shrinkage of its majority now means its survival is dependent on the Greens.
