INDEPENDENTS:NEWLY ELECTED Independent TDs have made their first moves toward forming a technical group which would qualify for speaking and other rights in the Dáil.
Informal discussions started yesterday among a number of the 17 Independents (including United Left Alliance) so far returned to the Dáil and at least six of them are due to meet today to see if they can agree a basis for co-operation.
Finian McGrath, who was returned for Dublin North Central, said he expected to meet fellow Independents Maureen O’Sullivan, Catherine Murphy, Mick Wallace, Thomas Pringle, John Halligan and Shane Ross this evening. Other Independents were likely to attend too, he said.
Tom Fleming, who was elected as an Independent in Kerry South, said plans for a bloc of Independents were well advanced.
The United Left Alliance, which had five TDs elected (one Independent, two Socialist Party and two from People Before Profit), said it was open to forming a technical group with Independents in order to secure speaking rights.
However, Independent TD for Roscommon-South Leitrim Luke “Ming” Flanagan called on Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny to open talks with him on agreeing a programme of work he could support in government. Mr Flanagan said he shared common ground with Fine Gael on a number of critical issues, including the urgent renegotiation of the EU-IMF deal.
A technical group allows TDs to have greater access to asking questions of the taoiseach, as well as priority questions and Private Members’ time. Under current rules, there can only be one technical group, it must have at least seven members and it must comprise a majority of Independents in the Dáil. This would suggest the group would need at least 10 members, unless current standing orders are changed.
Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party said the United Left Alliance believed it should be treated as a group in its own right because it was a cohesive group with five members. “Unless there are early and quick changes to standing orders, a technical group might be necessary in order to secure speaking rights,” he said.
Mr Higgins said he was open to joining up with any of the Independents, even Mr Ross. “It’s a purely technical arrangement with no political implications, and it’s a question of fair play.”
Mr McGrath said he wanted to form a group of credible Independents and insisted its members would have to adhere to agreed guidelines. “You couldn’t use your speaking time to go off lashing the public service, for example.” He also called on Mr Kenny to facilitate a change in the rules to allow more speaking time for smaller groups. Senator Joe O’Toole, who co-ordinated an Independents group in the Seanad for 25 years, urged Mr Kenny to ensure smaller groups got greater speaking rights.
