Government could face NAMA woes as Seanad majority in question

THE Government could face difficulty passing major pieces of legislation including the measures in December’s budget and the National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) Bill because it no longer holds the majority in the Seanad.

Two Seanad by-elections are expected to be held by the end of November to replace Labour’s Alan Kelly who won a seat in the European Parliament last June and the late Tony Kett, of Fianna Fáil, who passed away in April.

All laws require approval in both the Dáil and the Seanad but the power is in the balance in the Upper House where there are 28 senators on the opposition benches and the same number on the Government side.