Dáil debates

Tuesday, 9 April 2024

10:55 am

Photo of Hildegarde NaughtonHildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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It is proposed that the proceedings on the nominations for Taoiseach shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after one hour and 42 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply:

(1) the debate shall be confined to a single round and the arrangements shall be as follows: the speeches of a Government proposer and seconder shall not exceed five minutes each; the speeches by representatives of the other Government parties, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group shall not exceed ten minutes per party or group; contributions by non-aligned Members shall not exceed two minutes; and Members may share time;

(2) on the nomination of a Taoiseach for appointment by the President, the Dáil shall, unless it otherwise orders, stand suspended until either 5 p.m. or four hours after the conclusion of the proceedings, whichever is the later; and

(3) other than on this business proposal, any divisions claimed this week shall be taken by roll call.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Chief Whip. Is the proposed business for the week agreed?

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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It is not agreed.

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is not agreed.

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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It is very clear that when the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, went to the park last night, we should have been going to the country today-----

(Interruptions).

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The people should decide who our next Taoiseach is, not the assembled numbers here in government.

The people should have their say. This should not be happening today.

11:00 am

Photo of Neale RichmondNeale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Read the Constitution.

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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We should have gone to the country. We do not agree to the Government's schedule.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The whole country is looking in. Can we please behave with a bit of decorum?

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The business and issues facing the country have effectively been driven off the agenda for the rest of the week. That to me is unacceptable. On the first day of the new Taoiseach's ascension into office, there will be no Leaders' Questions and no Taoiseach's Questions. A debate on disability has been bumped off the agenda. Questions of finance have been bumped off the agenda. That is not the way to start a new Government. It is not acceptable. Just because we are having this jamboree today is not a reason to take business off the agenda which is of extreme importance to ordinary people in this country.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is not appropriate to describe the election of a Taoiseach as a jamboree.

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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It is a parliamentary democracy.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Let us have regard and respect for our Constitution and the role we play here. This is not, I assure the Deputy, a jamboree.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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It is definitely not a jamboree, but I do not know what it is. Are there words in the dictionary to describe it? It is the third time we have changed Taoiseach in this present Government. The people want an election. They want a new Government, not a new Taoiseach. It is a complete coronation and complete adulation from Fine Gael, as we have seen there with standing ovations, and we will see many more of them. The hiring all week of more spin doctors by the Minister, Deputy Harris, tells us what this Government will be. It will be spin, not substance, and continuing to neglect the business. I wrote to the Ceann Comhairle asking him to have a Business Committee meeting when I saw the agenda for this week, the way it was dissected and everything was cast aside just to suit the Fine Gael agenda. It was of course aided and abetted by the Fianna Fáil leader, the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, and indeed the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. What else can we say about it?

Photo of Cathal CroweCathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Get yourself nominated.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I am talking about the order of business.

Photo of John Paul PhelanJohn Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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You know you are talking shite.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I am totally unhappy, and we in the Rural Independent Group objected to this and asked for a meeting. This is a new and historic change for the Business Committee, which has been operating successfully for the past nine and a half years. It was totally admonished this week. Disability is out, Leaders' Questions are out and Topical Issues are out. There are many issues, including the weather, affecting our country and people today, especially our agriculture and food production. It is a charade.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the business as proposed for the week agreed to?

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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It is not agreed.

Question put: "That the proposed arrangements be agreed to."

The Dáil divided: Tá, 87; Níl, 53; Staon, 0.


Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Mattie McGrath.

Ivana Bacik, Cathal Berry, Colm Brophy, James Browne, Richard Bruton, Colm Burke, Peter Burke, Mary Butler, Thomas Byrne, Jackie Cahill, Dara Calleary, Ciarán Cannon, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Jack Chambers, Niall Collins, Patrick Costello, Simon Coveney, Barry Cowen, Michael Creed, Cathal Crowe, Cormac Devlin, Alan Dillon, Stephen Donnelly, Paschal Donohoe, Francis Noel Duffy, Bernard Durkan, Damien English, Alan Farrell, Frank Feighan, Joe Flaherty, Charles Flanagan, Seán Fleming, Norma Foley, Noel Grealish, Brendan Griffin, Simon Harris, Seán Haughey, Martin Heydon, Emer Higgins, Neasa Hourigan, Brendan Howlin, Heather Humphreys, Paul Kehoe, John Lahart, James Lawless, Brian Leddin, Michael Lowry, Marc MacSharry, Josepha Madigan, Catherine Martin, , Steven Matthews, Paul McAuliffe, Charlie McConalogue, Helen McEntee, Michael McGrath, Joe McHugh, Aindrias Moynihan, Michael Moynihan, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Gerald Nash, Denis Naughten, Hildegarde Naughton, Malcolm Noonan, Darragh O'Brien, Joe O'Brien, Jim O'Callaghan, Willie O'Dea, Kieran O'Donnell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, Roderic O'Gorman, Christopher O'Sullivan, Marc Ó Cathasaigh, Éamon Ó Cuív, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, John Paul Phelan, Anne Rabbitte, Neale Richmond, Michael Ring, Eamon Ryan, Seán Sherlock, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, Ossian Smyth, David Stanton, Leo Varadkar.

Níl

Chris Andrews, Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, John Brady, Martin Browne, Pat Buckley, Holly Cairns, Joan Collins, Michael Collins, Catherine Connolly, Rose Conway-Walsh, Réada Cronin, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, Pa Daly, Pearse Doherty, Paul Donnelly, Mairead Farrell, Gary Gannon, Johnny Guirke, Marian Harkin, Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Healy-Rae, Gino Kenny, Martin Kenny, Claire Kerrane, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Mary Lou McDonald, Mattie McGrath, Michael McNamara, Denise Mitchell, Imelda Munster, Catherine Murphy, Verona Murphy, Johnny Mythen, Cian O'Callaghan, Richard O'Donoghue, Louise O'Reilly, Darren O'Rourke, Eoin Ó Broin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Ruairi Ó Murchú, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Thomas Pringle, Maurice Quinlivan, Patricia Ryan, Matt Shanahan, Brian Stanley, Peadar Tóibín, Pauline Tully, Mark Ward, Jennifer Whitmore, Violet-Anne Wynne.

Question declared carried.