Four in five TDS ‘would allow party dictate how to vote’

FOUR in five TDs would toe the party line in a Dáil vote even if they fundamentally disagreed with the stance the party was taking, a new survey has found.

It also showed that one in seven TDs believed they should primarily represent the people who voted for them rather than all of their constituents. The findings are contained in a survey of Oireachtas members carried out by the cross-party Committee on the Constitution.

Of the 165 TDs, just 75 – or less than half – responded to the survey, which analysed their representative role and workload and sought their views on the electoral system. The survey found TDs spend on average 53% of their time on constituency-based work, 38% on legislative work and 9% on other activities such as party, media or charity work. It found 57% of TDs favour retaining the current electoral system.

The document also revealed whom TDs believe they are elected to represent. The vast majority said it was their job to primarily represent all voters in their constituency. But 11 of the politicians – or roughly one in seven – said they should primarily represent “all those in the constituency who voted for the TD”.

When it came to voting in the Dáil, meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of TDs admitted they would allow their party dictate how they vote. “When asked how a TD should vote when that TD disagrees with party policy, 83% indicated the TD should vote with their party,” it said.

“This finding is unsurprising when one considers that party legislative discipline in Ireland [ie, the tendency for TDs to vote with the party whip] is quite high by European standards.”

Asked if this finding helped explain why public trust in politics had eroded, committee chairman and Fianna Fáil TD Sean Ardagh said: “The committee has not reached any judgement in relation to that matter.”

But committee member and Fine Gael TD Michael D’Arcy said the finding demonstrated the Government held an iron grip over the parliament. Because TDs in the coalition parties rarely demonstrated the independence to vote against their parties, it meant the Government could push through whatever legislation it liked, he indicated.

“The Executive are in full control of the Legislature,” Mr D’Arcy said. “The Legislature and backbenchers… their role in the legislative process at this stage is getting close to zero.” p