Some Members Of The Regional Independent Group Of TDs Seeking To Form A Technical Group

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The incoming Government faces a challenge as it emerged that some Members of the Regional Independent Group of TDs that negotiated the Program for Government want to be allowed to form a Technical Group in the Dáil and be given Dáil time, the capacity to take part in Leaders Questions and submit motions. 

The Group secured the posts of Ceann Comhairle and 2 Super Junior Ministries and 3 Ministers of State posts in the Government but says the members that are not in Government, including North Tipperary TD Michael Lowry, the Group’s Convenor,  want to join with other Independent TDs and 2 Aontu TDs and sit on the Opposition benches.  Under the current rules, five or more TDs can come together to form what is called a technical group. The Dáil rules also state that you have to be in the opposition to form such a technical group. The group could be made up of Michael Lowry, Gillan O’Toole, Carol Nolan, Danny Healy Rae, Peadar Toibin and Paul Lawless – the latter two are Aontu TDs.

Members of the Group that are to be appointed Ministers will resign from the Regional Independent Group – Noel Grealish, Sean Canney, Marian Harkin, Kevin Moran and Michael Healy Rae. Sinn Fein, Labour and the Social Democrats opposed the proposal when it emerged at the Dáil Business Committee meeting yesterday. Sources have indicated the Dáil rules or standing orders could be changed to enable TDs from “either the opposition or government” to be part of a technical group. The Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy is to rule on the matter next week when the Dáil sits on Wednesday January 22nd to elect a Taoiseach who will then formally appoint the Ministers.