FIANNA FÁIL TD John McGuinness has been elected as chairman of the influential Public Accounts Committee after Fine Gael and Labour TDs supported his nomination.
Mr McGuinness was elected by a decisive 11 to two majority over the other nominee, Independent TD Shane Ross, at the inaugural meeting of the committee yesterday. The two Government parties imposed a whip on their nine TDs.
Fine Gael TD for Waterford John Deasy said if there had been a free vote he would have backed Mr McGuinness.
Mr Deasy said he had concerns about Mr Ross and his “cheerleading” of former Irish Nationwide boss Michael Fingelton and former chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank Seán FitzPatrick.
Mr Ross replied that the claim was “nonsense”. Mr Deasy said it was not as he had read Mr Ross’s articles from the past 10 years. “You obviously have not,” Mr Ross responded.
There were doubts about the voting intention of the Government parties until early yesterday afternoon when Fianna Fáil whip Seán Ó Fearghaíl was informed the nine Coalition TDs would back Mr McGuinness’s nomination.
Mr Ó Fearghaíl said the party had not lobbied for the position nor had any contact with Taoiseach Enda Kenny or Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore about it. “We set out our clear view at a whips’ meeting last week that the precedent was the PAC chair goes to the main Opposition party.”
The chair of the most powerful Dáil committee – which acts as a watchdog on public spending – has traditionally gone to a TD from the largest opposition party.
However, the technical group, comprised of Independent TDs and the five Deputies from the United Left Alliance, challenged that precedent and argued that it should not longer stand.
Fine Gael TD for Limerick City Kieran O’Donnell was elected as vice-chairman, with no dissent.
Mr Ross was nominated by Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald but attracted no other support.
Mr Ross he had nothing against Mr McGuinness but had put himself up for the position because he believed it was “utterly inappropriate that Fianna Fáil should be put in charge” of the PAC.
