TDs should lose a month's pay for abuse of privilege, FF claims

Fianna Fáil said TDs should be automatically fined a month's wages if they abuse their parliamentary privilege.

The party said it would not seek retrospective punishment against Mary Lou McDonald after she was found to have abused it herself.

Fianna Fáil's Timmy Dooley said there has never been a situation before where a TD refuses to accept findings made against them.

And he said the Dáil should change the rules so that fines would kick in automatically.

"We're not interested in the short-term of dealing with any one individual, [but] there should be a system-wide approach," he said.

"In the event of somebody being found by their peers to be in breach of the principle … they should be dealt with automatically and it should a month's forfeiture of their salary."

He said previously, being found to have breached the rules "was enough of a sanction" and would cause TDs to address the matter "in a personal way".