Pressure on Wallace from independent TDs to quit group

Tax-evading TD Mick Wallace will face pressure to resign from the Dáil technical group as he delivers a defence tomorrow of his decision not to step down as a TD.

Mattie McGrath — one of the 16 members of the group made up of independent and small party TDs — said Mr Wallace has a “duty” to resign his membership.

Mr Wallace will make a statement to the Dáil tomorrow ahead of the publication of the Revenue’s quarterly list of defaulters, which will include the name of his construction company MJ Wallace Ltd.

Last week the Wexford TD admitted he had deliberately under-declared Vat liabilities of €1.4 million and had reached a €2.1m settlement with Revenue which he says he will never be able to pay.

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton last night called for a “full explanation from the Revenue Commissioners of the circumstances of the case”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, she said Mr Wallace “may need to give them clearance to make a statement” about the agreement reached, because of “legislation in relation to taxpayer confidentiality.”

Ms Burton said: “Equally he can give an account himself of his dealings with Revenue and why Revenue chose to pursue the lines of action that they chose to pursue.”

His statement to the Dáil tomorrow is expected to outline how he will continue to serve his constituents in Wexford and the 13,000 who gave him their first preference votes in last year’s election.

But his position is looking increasingly fragile with a raft of colleagues from the technical group urging him to resign over the weekend.

Tipperary South TD, Mattie McGrath, called on him to step down from the Dáil or consider his position on the Technical Group.

He said: “Mick has a duty to us and I know that my colleague Shane Ross has asked him to resign from the Technical Group and I would be of a similar view.”

Tom Fleming, Seamus Heaney and John Halligan also called for Mr Wallace’s Dáil resignation with a split developing in the technical group over the issue.

Junior finance minister Brian Hayes said it is a “very serious issue” for the group who “have been hiding him over the last few days.”

Mr Hayes said Mr Wallace should take questions from other TDs during his statements to the Dáil tomorrow.

“He faces a very difficult position because at one level he is telling people not to pay things like the household charge, and on the next, he is being clear he has effectively defrauded the tax system,” Mr Hayes said.

Mr McGrath claimed last night that Mr Wallace’s colleagues in the group had urged him not to travel to Poland to watch Ireland play Croatia.