Haughey attended almost twice as many Dáil votes as Wallace

SEAN HAUGHEY turned up for almost twice as many votes in the last Dáil session as newly appointed junior minister Mary Wallace.

Mr Haughey, who was considered the front-runner to fill the vacancy created by Ivor Callely’s forced resignation, was present for 44 of the 45 Dáil votes in the last term, which ran from September 28 to December 14. This gave him a near-100% record.

Jim Glennon, another TD widely touted by FF insiders, was present for 38 of the votes, giving him an 84% record.

By contrast, Ms Wallace made just 23 of the votes, representing a 51% record. This is consistent with her overall record since her demotion in June 2002. Analysis carried out by the Irish Examiner showed she was present for just 50% of votes between June 2002 and the end of last year.

Ms Wallace has consistently denied boycotting the Dáil following the Taoiseach’s decision to drop her as junior minister at the Department of Justice on June 18, 2002. It was reported at the time she had chosen to boycott the chamber until Bertie Ahern explained his decision.

In the end, Mr Ahern met with Ms Wallace on September 2 that year. But while she insists there was never a boycott, her record shows she missed many votes.

Yesterday, Ms Wallace issued her first statement in her new role as junior minister with responsibility for the forestry portfolio at the Department of Agriculture. She said she looked forward to tackling the many challenges facing the sector and she was determined to see forestry develop its full potential.