Regional independents not allowed on opposition benches in latest speaker ruling

The speaker of the Irish parliament has said she will not recognise speaking time for a group of independents at the centre of a dispute that prevented the nomination of a new taoiseach.

Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy said that, during Thursday’s proceedings, she would recognise two other technical groups but not the collection of TDs that contain independents who supported the formation of the incoming government.

She is expected to seek further advice for future sittings.

It comes as the Dail parliament is to reconvene a day after a chaotic row over how speaking time should be allocated to the government-affiliated independents.

A meeting of opposition party leaders is taking place on Thursday morning in order to agree a resolution before the Dail resumes.

The meeting at Government Buildings has been described as “constructive”, paving the way for Mr Martin’s nomination as taoiseach.

Party leaders are trying to reach an agreement on a text regarding the independent TDs who back the Government.

The intervention by Ms Murphy to exclude recognising the Regional Independent Group was seen by both sides as significant.

It is hoped that Ms Murphy’s decision will break the log jam.

The Dail is likely to resume at 11.30am, an hour later than planned.

Efforts to appoint an Irish premier after November’s general election failed as the opposition disrupted proceedings to protest against the matter on Wednesday.

Central to the row is a move to allocate opposition speaking time to the independents.

Opposition parties said this would dilute the practice of holding the government to account and eat into their time to raise issues.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin was expected to be nominated as taoiseach on Wednesday when the Dail reconvened, as part of a coalition deal with Fine Gael, the regional independent group and Kerry brothers Michael and Danny Healy-Rae.

On Thursday morning, Mr Martin and Simon Harris said the election of a taoiseach “must happen today”.

In a joint statement, the leaders said: “The formation of groups in Dail Eireann is a matter for the Ceann Comhairle (the speaker).

“Issues regarding Dail reform and groupings can and should be discussed by a Dail reform committee.

“This can meet as early as today but proportionality must also prevail.

“The most important duty the Dail has is to elect a taoiseach and government, and both party leaders agree this must happen today.”

Welcoming Ms Murphy’s latest decision, Labour whip Duncan Smith said: “It’s positive to see the Ceann Comhairle recognising only two technical groups, both in opposition, for the purposes of today’s meeting.

“This is the solution that I and others proposed both in our submission and at numerous meetings yesterday.”

On Wednesday, several interruptions meant what would have traditionally been a day of political ceremony in the Dail never got under way, with the Ceann Comhairle halting matters four times.

Mr Martin called the disruption by opposition parties “anti-democratic” and said it was a “subversion” of the Irish constitution.

Fine Gael leader and presumptive minister for foreign affairs Mr Harris described the activities as “stunt politics on speed”.

He said: “(Sinn Fein leader) Mary Lou McDonald came into Dail Eireann today with one intention and one intention only, to stop Micheal Martin being elected taoiseach, and therefore to deprive the people of Ireland of the outworkings of the last general election.”

Fianna Fail TD Mary Butler said the opposition showed “a mob mentality” and “proved that they are not fit to govern”, while Sinn Fein said the government’s approach demonstrated “arrogance”.

Of the nine independents supporting the government, five of them will be given government roles.

The four remaining independent TDs, former minister Michael Lowry, Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole and Danny Healy-Rae, are looking to join a technical group, a mechanism used to allocate opposition speaking time.

The leaders of five opposition parties said claiming to be in government and in opposition at the same time is “farcical”, “not tenable” and “a clear and patent absurdity”.

Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit accused the government of trying to “subvert and sabotage democracy”, while Independent Ireland’s Michael Collins said the four independents wanted “their bread buttered on both ends”.

It is understood Ceann Comhairle Ms Murphy met Ms McDonald on Wednesday evening to find an agreement.

The meeting on Thursday morning is expected to seek the approval of Mr Martin and Mr Harris to the statement that independent TDs who support a programme for government cannot be in opposition technical groups.

A senior source among opposition parties was optimistic the government parties would be receptive to the proposal.