Former top Dáil official Kieran Coughlan critical of secret ballot to elect ceann comhairle

The Government’s move to have the ceann comhairle elected by secret ballot has been criticised by the former top official in Leinster House.

Kieran Coughlan, the ex-clerk of the Dáil or secretary general of Leinster House has hit out at the move to a secret ballot, which he said could lead to more government business being done in private. He said the matter should have been put to the people by referendum to decide, rather than it being done by Government decree.

Mr Coughlan said that those who framed the Constitution determined that Dáil accountability requires “openness and transactions being held in public and the Constitution upholds this principle in our parliamentary democracy”.