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Michael Lowry, the unofficial leader of the Regional Independents RollingNews.ie

Ceann Comhairle rules that Regional Independents will not be treated as the opposition after all

The move raises questions about how the Regional Technical Group will respond.

THE CEANN COMHAIRLE has ruled that the Regional Independent TDs, most of whom support the government, will not be given opposition speaking rights. 

In a surprise statement late on Monday night, Verona Murphy said that the Regional Independents cannot form a technical group, which they had repeatedly requested in order to be able to get speaking time in the Dáil. 

The move raises questions about how the government-supporting TDs, led by Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry, will respond. 

Murphy used statements made in public by members of the group, including Lowry, Barry Heneghan and the Healy-Rae brothers, to back up her decision. 

Cian O’Callaghan of the Social Democrats described it as a “significant ruling”, saying it “confirms what opposition parties have been saying from the outset.”

“Government backbenchers cannot masquerade as members of the opposition in a cynical attempt to avail of opposition speaking rights.”

Murphy said she had “carefully considered legal advice, submissions and other materials which are in the public domain” before making her decision. 

The key decision, she said, was whether the members of the group could in fact be considered “members of the opposition”. 

Murphy highlighted comments made by members of the group in recent weeks which could not be considered to be the kind of things that an opposition TD would say. 

Dublin Bay North TD Barry Heneghan said on social media on 18 January that he was “delighted to have secured the inclusion” of a specific issue “in the programme for government”. 

Three days earlier, Michael Healy-Rae had said “It’s fair to say that there is an arrangement in place where there will be a role at a department at a Minister of State level for the Healy-Raes and it’s fair to say that that role will be going in my direction.” 

Comments on a similar theme were made by Michael Lowry and Danny Healy-Rae. 

Verona Murphy noted that given the public statements by Heneghan, Lowry and the Healy-Raes, it would be “extremely difficult to reconcile [them] with  a reasonable interpretation in plain English of the term ‘in Opposition’.”

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald expressed satisfaction with the ruling. 

“This was a stroke too far on the back of a grubby deal and everyone knows that,” she said. 

“I have made my decision tonight so that the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform, which meets tomorrow, will be aware of my ruling in advance of that meeting,” Murphy said. 

A senior Fine Gael source said this evening: “We welcome this ruling as this issue has dragged on for far too long.”

With reporting by Christina Finn

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