LAST UPDATE | 27 Mar

MARY LOU MCDONALD has said the opposition is open to considering any measure to counter the official Dáil record from Tuesday, which she said is “flawed”, but was quick to outline that legal action is not her preferred method.

It comes as the opposition has issued a motion of no confidence against Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy after they claim she did not act impartially during a vote to resolve the speaking rights row.

The primary claim of the opposition’s evidence is that Murphy did not call for a vote on the Dáil’s schedule, known as the Order of Business, despite a large number of TDs standing on their feet and articulating their opposition to the plan.

It is routine for the opposition to call for a vote on the Order of Business and challenge that debates and votes be removed or added to the schedule.

The fact a vote was not called for has fueled oppositional claims that the proceedings were pre-arranged with government, with Murphy totally denied in a statement yesterday.

The official record of proceedings, drafted by the Dáil clerk Peter Finnegan and published yesterday, also does not detail the opposition’s request for a vote but details that Murphy acted accordingly.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland today, the Sinn Féin leader said the audiovisual recordings of the Dáil’s proceedings on Tuesday contradicted the account of debate by the clerk, Peter Finnegan.

Finnegan’s report, issued to TDs and the Ceann Comhairle yesterday, says it was not possible to maintain order in the House on Tuesday, as the opposition protested in the Chamber the vote to create new speaking slots for government-supporting TDs.

“[Tuesday's] proceedings were extraordinarily difficult for the Chair and indeed for all the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas Service who support the work of the Dáil Chamber,” the Clerk’s report states.

“The operation of the Dáil is only possible if members accept the Chair’s authority and rulings,” it adds. Finnegan’s report says Murphy maintained independents and acted in order with standard procedure on Tuesday.

McDonald this morning said legal action would not be her preferred route of recourse and would instead like the issue to be debated and resolved within the Dáil. She said it was “clear” that a vote had been requested.

The opposition has filed a motion of no-confidence on Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

She said: “What is also publicly available is a video, a live video, of the proceedings on the Oireachtas website. And, unfortunately, we have a situation where the live proceedings – which anybody can view and review – do not tally with the report that has been produced.”

Asked whether Sinn Féin or the opposition would look to take legal action against the vote McDonald said: “We will look at all of our options. To be honest with you, I would prefer not to. I think these matters ought to be resolved and sorted within the Dáil itself, because in the end, it is about how we democratically pursue our business.”

Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty requested the report yesterday and claimed that the opposition had clearly requested a vote on the Dáil schedule. In his contribution to the Dáil, he suggested that his party may consider legal action against the “serious” matter.

The Opposition’s motion of no confidence against the Ceann Comhairle is expected to come before the Dáil next week. Government plans to counter the measure, changing it to a motion of confidence instead.

McDonald said though Government may use its majority to secure Verona Murphy’s future in the role, there are outstanding, serious issues inside the Dáil which need to be addressed before “impending” changes to the national and international agenda.

Sinn Féin’s leader suggested that both opposition and Government TDs would need to come to an agreed compromise so that the Dáil can effectively tackle the changing world order.

Speaking to the same programme this morning, junior justice minister Niall Collins accused Sinn Féin of attempting to prevent the work of the Dáil and maintained that he believes Murphy acted independently.