Tánaiste: Appointments row not Labour's problem

The Tánaiste has insisted that the row over the Seanad by-election is "not a matter for the Labour party, it's a matter for Fine Gael".

Joan Burton made the remarks at lunchtime on the controversy over the appointment of a Fine Gael candidate to a board, in order to get him a nomination for the Seanad by-election reached the floor of the Dáil.

Sinn Féins described the nomination of John McNulty as 'stinking of cronyism' and called on Joan Burton to say if the party's TDs and Senators would vote for him in the by-election.

In response, the Tánaiste said it may be ok for Sinn Féin to dictate to members how to vote, but it was a secret ballot, and she repeatedly insisted the issue was not for Labour to be bothered about.

"The actual nomination is a matter for the Fine Gael party, for its leader, and for the members of Fine Gael. It's not a matter for the Labour party," she said.

"It's a matter for the party which has the vacancy, and it's for that party to make the nomination."

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams criticised the Taoiseach, saying "despite all the promises of a new era in politics, the Taoiseach has embraced Fianna Fáil-style stroke politics."