TAOISEACH MICHÉAL MARTIN has accused the Opposition of playing up to the media in relation to the speaking rights row, telling them it is “time to cop on”. 

The row over speaking rights for Michael Lowry and three of his Regional Independent colleagues has hung over the Dáil like a storm cloud for over a month now. 

A Government-proposed change to Dáil standing orders in response to the row is set to be voted on after St Patrick’s Day. The proposals have been strongly criticised by five Opposition parties. 

In the Dáil this afternoon, Sinn Féin TD for Donegal Pearse Doherty accused the Taoiseach of going back on his word. He noted that in January, the Government said it would find a solution to the impasse that was agreeable to the Opposition, but that it was now trying to push through its plans.

He also noted that the Government’s planned changes to standing orders would reduce Taoiseach’s questions in the Dáil by half, from two slots per week to one. 

“Everybody knows, the dogs in the street know, Micheál Lowry is a Government TD. It is as simple as that and you need to deal with that fact,” Doherty said. 

He once again asked the Taoiseach to meet with Opposition leaders in a bid to find a compromise. 

The issue was also raised by Labour TD Duncan Smith, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy and Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins. 

Murphy told the Dáil that the Taoiseach was attempting “an authoritarian manoeuvre”. 

Speaking over heckling from the Government benches, Murphy added: “it might not be comfortable” for them to “hear that truth”. 

“It is diminishing the capacity of the Opposition to hold the Government to account,” Murphy said, also noting the proposal to half the slots available for Taoiseach’s Questions each week.

Responding to all of the comments, Martin told Pearse Doherty that he does not believe he is interested in reaching a resolution. 

“In a strange way you are enjoying this and you are going to keep this going as long as you can,” he said. 

Singling out Labour leader Ivana Bacik and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald he said they were “nowhere to be seen” the night the row initially kicked off back in January. 

On the night Martin’s appointment as Taoiseach was derailed, the leaders of the Opposition wrote to him and Simon Harris requesting an urgent meeting to resolve the row.

“They had despatched a letter, they had told the media they had despatched a letter and then they went off doing what they were going to be doing anyway,” he said. 

“This has happened on more than one occasion,” he said, accusing them of “play acting”. 

“I think it is time to cop on here and have a bit of common sense and a bit of proportionality,” the Taoiseach concluded.