AFTER MONTHS OF delays with getting Oireachtas Committees up and running following the general election, most political parties have now named their various chairpersons. 

Sinn Féin has this afternoon named its Wicklow TD John Brady as chairperson of the high-profile public accounts committee (PAC). 

He takes over the reins from his colleague, Mairéad Farrell, who was the first woman ever to be appointed to the position, but who held it for less than a month last year before the general election was called.

Farrell was nominated to replace former-Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley as chairperson of PAC by her party last October.

At the time, Sinn Féin celebrated her appointment and noted that she was “the first woman chair of the public accounts committee and the youngest chair in its 25-year history.”

Asked today why Farrell got the boot, Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said: “Being booted off is probably a very unfair description given the really significant role that Mairéad has in moving back into [spokesperson for] public expenditure and reform. It’ll be a key area for the party and she is doing a brilliant job of it.” 

Ó Broin noted that of the seven committee chairs held by Sinn Féin, three are held by women. 

Farrell has been appointed as chairperson of the finance committee.

“What’s important about today’s decision is it means we’re now getting back to work. I’ve been desperate to get the housing committee back up and running since our re-election, so that we can bring the Minister and his officials in to scrutinise them,” Ó Broin said.

The sharing of 28 Oireachtas committee chair roles between Dáil groupings is based on the general election results.

The individuals appointed to chair committees receive an annual allowance bonus of €10,888.

This week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris announced their parties’ TDs who will chair committees. 

Fianna Fáil TDs are chairing eight committees while Fine Gael TDs are at the helm of seven.

In Fine Gael, two of the seven are women, while in Fianna Fáil just one woman will chair a committee.

For Fianna Fáil, John Lahart takes the Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee, Seán Fleming will chair the new Infrastructure Committee and James O’Connor will be at the helm of the Committee on Enterprise.

Cathal Crowe is chairing the Committee on Education while Erin McGreehan is chairing the Committee on Further and Higher Education.

Cormac Devlin is taking the Committee on Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, Aindrias Moynihan is taking the Committee on Agriculture and Malcolm Byrne is chairing the Committee on Artificial Intelligence.

For Fine Gael, the Housing Committee will be chaired by Micheál Carrigy and Barry Ward will chair the Committee on European Affairs.

New Fine Gael TDs have also been given roles: Naoise Ó Muirí is the chair of the Climate Committee, Keira Keogh will chair the Committee on Children & Equality, Michael Murphy will chair the Committee on Transport, while John Paul O’Shea is chairing the ​Committee on Social Protection.

For the Social Democrats, Pádraig Rice is to chair the Health Committee and Gary Gannon will chair the Committee on Drug Use.

Labour’s Alan Kelly is to chair the Media Committee, and Independent Galway TD Catherine Connolly is to chair the committee on behalf of the Independents and Smaller Parties technical group.

With reporting from Gráinne Ní Aodha, Press Association