LAST UPDATE | 20 Feb 2025

A JOINT-STATEMENT FROM five major opposition parties in the Dáil have completely rejected a proposal by the Government to rewrite procedural rules to put an end to the speaking rights argument.

The leaders of Sinn Féin, Social Democrats, Labour, Independent Ireland and People Before Profit has accused the government of attempting to silence them in the Dáil, labelling the most-recent development in the row as “bizarre”.

Government issued a submission to the Dáil reform committee this afternoon, heating up the speaking rights issue once more after it derailed the national parliament last month. 

Chief Whip Mary Butler proposed the creation of “Other Members’ Questions”, a new section of Dáil time which four members of the Regional Independents Technical group, who have openly said they will support the government, can use.

Government’s proposal suggests that they group would get “one brief question about a matter of topical public importance to the Taoiseach” on two days per sitting. This would be rotated between relevant groups and parties.

The submission also states: “A modern parliament is not necessarily made up of ‘government’ and ‘opposition’ members, and there are members who can’t readily be categorised as such.”

Opposition leaders protested the original decision last month that the Regional Independent TDs – Michael Lowry, Barry Heneghan, Danny Healy-Rae and Gillian Toole – would speak from opposition time, despite negotiating the programme for government.

The argument was put on ice after a temporary agreement was reached, whereby the Dáil reform committee would iron out how and when the TDs could speak in the chamber.

Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy this month ruled that the four members could not take time from the opposition benches when making contributions in the Dáil, after she said she was satisfied that the TDs were not members of the opposition.

In her ruling, she also used remarks made by members of the technical grouping to back up her decision. The decision was accepted by all parties.

The creation of the ‘Other Members’ speaking time has been rejected by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Labour leader Ivana Bacik, acting Social Democrats leader Cian O’Callaghan, People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett and Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins, however.

“It is yet another cynical attempt to manipulate speaking time in order to grant special privileges to TDs who were part of negotiating the Programme for Government and clearly and unambiguously support the government,” a statement this evening reads.

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“They are not ‘other’, they are not ‘unaligned’, they are Government TDs,” the leaders said labelling the decision as “utterly unacceptable” and stating that it would “not be tolerated”.

Earlier, O’Callaghan dubbed the submission “outrageous”. 

“This frankly Orwellian rubbish is beneath contempt. Unless the government is basing its analysis on autocratic regimes, it is clear in every modern democratic parliament where the demarcation between government and opposition lies,” he said. 

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One this evening, Boyd Barrett said that there was a “false narrative” being used by the government to fix the issue. He claimed that the new speaking period would also take time away from other government back benchers.

The Dáil reform committee is scheduled to meet next Wednesday to discuss the submissions. It is understood five separate submissions have also been received from opposition parties.