Government suffers Seanad defeat as Labour members fail to show up

The Government suffered its first embarrassing defeat in the Seanad last night as Labour senators failed to turn up for a vote on proposed changes to upward-only rents.

On the eve of a referendum on the future of the Seanad, the defeat signals a major embarrassment for the Coalition, which has claimed the upper house is ineffective.

Disgruntled government senators have threatened to block or delay legislation if the Seanad is abolished, a move which could affect the budget.