Independent TD elected chair of Dáil Covid-19 committee

Independent TD for Clare Michael McNamara has been elected as the chairman of the new Dáil Covid-19 committee.

Tue, 12 May, 2020 - 14:11

Aoife Moore

The Oireachtas new special committee on Covid-19 will be chaired by Independent TD Michael McNamara.

The 19-strong committee met for the first time on Tuesday in the Dáil chamber to nominate the chair.

Only two nominations were put forward in Mr McNamara and Sinn Féin's David Cullinane, despite previous rumours that Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall and Fianna Fáil's John McGuinness would also be nominated.

The committee went to a vote for the position, with Mr Cullinane receiving six votes in his favour, 12 against, and Mr McNamara abstaining.

Mr McNamara, a former Labour TD, said it was a "great honor" to be elected to the position and wanted proceedings to be as "collegiate a manner as possible".

The committee is to review the government's response to the pandemic, and how Ireland will re-emerge from the Covid-19 lockdown and restart the economy.

The group are to meet again next Tuesday.