John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)

The situation regarding meetings not including the Deputy's party is determined by the format of the main parties. A party can be recognised as a main party for the purposes of discussions, so long as it has more than seven Members in the House. This has been the precedent in the House over many years and it did not arise today or yesterday. The number of Deputies from a particular party also has implications in other areas of activity within the Houses of the Oireachtas and its constituent bodies. The Deputy's party is represented on the Oireachtas Committee on Procedure and Privileges, which agrees issues formally on a regular basis.

The issue regarding the Natural History Museum would not fall within the ambit of the Government Chief Whip, but rather the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. The commission accepted a proposal brought before it regarding the location of the Seanad during the course of works that must be carried out urgently in Leinster House.

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