SINN FÉIN HAS nominated Mairéad Farrell to be the new chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee.

It comes after PAC chair Brian Stanley resigned from the party last Saturday over an inquiry into a complaint made against him by a party colleague. 

The fallout from his surprise resignation has seen differing accounts of who knew what and when, with McDonald and Stanley giving different dates for when the complaint against him was made.

A number of TDs have said they will not support a new Sinn Féin PAC chairperson due to the recent controversies engulfing the party. 

Mairéad Farrell is currently Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science, and previously served as the party’s Public Expenditure spokesperson.

She was appointed to the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year. 

In a statement this afternoon, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the Galway West TD brings “a considerable wealth of knowledge on budgetary matters”. 

“Teachta Farrell is highly respected across the Oireachtas. She is meticulous, forensic and incredibly detail focused. She has the qualities to chair a committee of this nature in a fair and impartial manner,” McDonald said.

“She will bring a real energy, work ethic and unwavering belief in public money being used in the best interests of the people.”

Farrell has said she is “honoured” to be nominated for the position.

Honoured to be nominated by @MaryLouMcDonald to be PAC chair.
My understanding that I would be the 1st woman chair.
In my Dáil term I've brought forward bills on public expenditure, procurement & transparency.
Wastage of public money must be tackled, let's get to work.

— Mairéad Farrell TD (@Farrell_Mairead) October 16, 2024

“In my Dáil term, I’ve brought forward bills on public expenditure, procurement and transparency,” she said. “Wastage of public money must be tackled, let’s get to work.”

The chairs of committees are normally appointed through a system which is designed to proportionately reflect each party’s representation in the Dáil chamber.

The move to formally change the committee chairperson should go before the Dáil for approval next week. However, the first scheduled sitting of PAC following Stanley’s resignation is tomorrow morning.

The deputy chairperson of the PAC, Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy, will oversee the meeting until the position is filled. 

Earlier this week, Fine Gael TD and PAC member Ciarán Cannon said he would not be co-operating with a newly appointed Sinn Féin chair “until such time as Mary Lou McDonald makes a full statement to Dáil Éireann on all of the serious issues coming to light about her party”. 

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme this morning, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns called on Sinn Féin to give further clarity on the situation. 

She said it makes sense for Catherine Murphy to continue as the interim chair “until we have clarity about what happened in relation to Brian Stanley”.

“This committee is very different to other Dáil committees. Being the chair of the Public Accounts Committee is an extremely powerful position to be in. It’s charged with holding other very powerful organisations to account,” Cairns said. 

She said Catherine Murphy is “a safe pair of hands and a longstanding member of the committee”.

“I think it makes sense for her to step in until we have clarity about what happened and why this information isn’t available to the public to know, if it’s fair enough for Sinn Féin to go forward and replace [Stanley] or not.”