Sinn Féin TD defends Government against newspaper criticism

Sinn Féin Deputy Padraig MacLochlain has criticised claims today that TDs will have extra holidays over St Patricks Day and Easter.

Today's Irish Daily Mail has reported that Fine Gael and Labour plan to give the Dáil an extra day off next week, and then allow TDs 19 days holidays for Easter five days later.

The newspaper has claimed the decisions make a mockery of Enda Kenny's election campaign promise to preside over the hardest-working Government in the history of the state.

The Donegal TD has told Highland Radio however that the Government has increased the number of sitting days in the Dáil overall.

"The Daily Mail, you know, I suppose that's been their whole approach, you always sell papers by telling people that TDs are lazy buggers," said Deputy MacLochlain.

"But the truth is, on this occasion, I would agree that the Government has indeed increased the number of sitting days [and] tried to put in some reforms in the Dáil.

"They need to go further, but to say that the Government has been worse than the last one, in terms of Dáil sitting days, is clearly just not correct."