Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Many questions for this House and the public still remain to be answered. Yesterday, I reiterated that the issue of the vacancy of the Seanad seat arose because of Deirdre Clune’s election to the European Parliament. The Seanad by-election concerns this, not the other House. I have demanded and will continue to demand that the Taoiseach comes before this House to tender a full explanation to Members here about the shenanigans that went on.

A number of outstanding questions remain. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, has not done herself proud in the replies she has given. She mentioned in one of her statements that she wanted regional balance when she appointed Mr. McNulty to the board of IMMA, the Irish Museum of Modern Art. If one reflects on that, she was also aware that he was a potential Seanad by-election candidate and that once he became one, he would have to resign from the board. Is this a simple ruse? The Minister ignored the cap of nine members for the board of IMMA and enlarged it to 11 members, a bit like the banking inquiry shenanigans that happened here some time ago. There is also the further question of why, despite the clear suggestion that a woman would have been the preferred candidate, did the Taoiseach and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht chose to ignore this.

Some are claiming this debacle is over. It is not because the Seanad by-election will take place on 10 October. What if Mr. McNulty is elected by Government party Members? If he is, it will create a serious crisis because he has already withdrawn from the race. Has the Taoiseach directed the Members of his parliamentary party not to vote for him? For anyone to claim this is over-----