Waterford TD Halligan gets his marching orders

Independent Waterford TD John Halligan has become the first TD of the new Dáil term to be thrown out of the house.

He was asked to leave the chamber after objecting to the amount of time allowed for a debate on the recent job losses at TalkTalk in his native county.

He complained that he was only allowed one minute and ten seconds to air his views.

And after angry exchanges the Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett ordered him to leave.

Last week's 575 job losses at TalkTalk were the subject of the first of the new 'Topical Issues' debates in the chamber.

Waterford Deputies Ciara Conway and Paudie Coffey called for a concentration by state agencies on jobs crisis in the area.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said that would happen, saying a cross-departmental response was being implemented.