OPPOSITION TDS HAVE slammed the reported move by some independent members of the Dáil who support the incoming government to join an opposition technical group.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has described the situation whereby government-supporting TDs would be able to use opposition speaking time in the Dáil and “bizarre” and “ludicrous”. 

A number of independent TDs who are supporting the incoming government have indicated they intend to form a technical group in opposition, which would afford them speaking time in the Dáil. 

“A bizarre situation has developed in the new Dáil in which four TDs who have publicly stated that they will be supporting the incoming Government, namely Michael Lowry, Gillian Toole, Danny Healy-Rae and Barry Heneghan, are planning to be members of an opposition technical group,” Murphy said in a statement this evening. 

The four TDs recently supported the Programme for Government.

“It’s clear that this bizarre proposal would undermine the capacity and effectiveness of the opposition in the Dáil,” Murphy said, adding that the proposal “clearly contravenes Oireachtas standing orders”.

“It has been reported that Barry Heneghan will be a government junior whip, and yet could be sitting in opposition benches and taking opposition time and resources,” Murphy continued. 

Murphy also said the proposed arrangement would mean that Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae would be on the government benches while his brother Danny Healy-Rae would be on the opposition benches. 

“This would be ludicrous,” he said. 

“These four TDs have expressed explicit support for the incoming Government and they must be designated as such and get their speaking time and resources from the Government’s generous allocations.”

Murphy is not alone in calling out the proposed move. 

Sinn Féin TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has also been railing against the situation in posts on X. 

“Michael Lowry yesterday stated that his group of Independent TDs would ‘support the next government on the good days and the bad days’,” Mac Lochlainn wrote. 

“Now he and two other of those TDs want to be part of a Dáil Group in OPPOSITION to the government. You couldn’t make this up.” 

Mac Lochlainn continued: “These are government TDs seeking to take Dáil speaking time and resources from genuine opposition TDs. 

“This is a farce and we will oppose it all the way.”

Labour’s Duncan Smith also criticised the proposal on RTÉ’s Drivetime today, saying “it absolutely beggars belief”. 

He said the Regional Independent Group members want to “run with the hare and hunt with the hound”. 

“It is absolutely unacceptable and outrageous,” Smith said. 

Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit agreed with Smith.

“This is about trying to pretend that you’re opposition while actually being part of the government,” he said, accusing them of “trying to fool people”. 

Fianna Fáil’s Niall Collins said he had no issue with the situation. 

Speaking about Danny Healy-Rae, Collins said “it’s his prerogative to support the government, it’s his prerogative not to be in government, and he can quite legitimately in my view seek to be part of a technical group”. 

Boyd Barrett interjected to say: “But he’s committed to supporting the Programme for Government and voting for the government. I mean, this is crazy.”

Collins then accused Boyd Barrett of “trying to diminish his mandate”.

“He’s taken his mandate into government,” Boyd Barrett retorted, adding that the new government should let Healy-Rae use their speaking time. 

Smith was asked if he would challenge the move in the courts if the government supported it.

“Everything is open to us in terms of this,” Smith said. “It is a new departure. There’s no precedent for this.”

Collins described the whole conversation as “farcical” and called the outrage “fake hysteria”.