INDEPENDENT TD MICHAEL Lowry has requested permission to address the Dáil in response to allegations made about him this week by Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty.

Doherty used his Dáil speaking time on Thursday to speak about Lowry. He raised the issue of the 1990s controversy over the purchase of the Doncaster Rovers Football Club, which featured in the Moriarty Tribunal.

Referencing the row over Dáil speaking time that dominated proceedings this week, Doherty stated:

“I wonder if he [Lowry] will use that speaking time to come clean, to set the record straight about his involvement in the Doncaster deal, the purchase of Doncaster Football Club funded by Dennis O’Brien, a deal that the deputy swore that he had no part of and was not to benefit from, which was completely and utterly false,” before he put forward a number of allegations.

• You can read our full report on what was said here

In a statement to RTÉ’s This Week programme today, Lowry said he had delivered a letter to the Ceann Comhairle’s office formally requesting an opportunity to make a personal statement on the floor of the Dáil to address Doherty’s statements.

“Pearse Doherty availed of Dáil privilege to make so-called new allegations in respect of my dealings with the Moriarty Tribunal,” he said.

“Within hours of it being brought to my attention, I delivered a letter to the Office of the Ceann Comhairle,” requesting “an early opportunity” to address the comments.

Speaking time

The matter of Dáil speaking time, which caused a furore as the new Dáil met on Wednesday to elect a Taoiseach, also featured on the This Week programme.

There were dramatic scenes in the Dáil Wednesday after a row erupted following a plan to allow Independent TDs, who participated in government formation negotiations, but who have not been given junior ministerial positions, to get speaking time that is allocated to the opposition.

Members of the opposition furiously rejected this proposal, resulting in the Dáil being suspended a number of times before being adjourned until the following day.

The Ceann Comhairle, party leaders and the Dáil business committee agreed a temporary solution to break the deadlock and allow the vote for the next Taoiseach to take place and Martin was duly elected.

However, the issue did not end there, with a final decision still due on the matter.

Speaking to RTÉ, Fianna Fáil TD Paul McAuliffe, who sits on the Dáil Reform Committee, said members met yesterday and would do so again on Monday and in the future in an attempt to resolve the issue.

“We’ve received advice from the Office of Parliamentary Legal Affairs,” said McAuliffe, who repeated Government criticism of the Opposition for shouting “down the business of the house”. These criticism were roundly rejected by the Opposition TDs also speaking on the programme.