Eamon Ryan told Taoiseach and Tánaiste before Greens agreed to expel TDs in 'internal' issue

The Green Party leader said: "It was a Green Party issue, we managed it ourselves."

Neasa Hourigan (left) has been suspended from the Green Party after voting with the Opposition on a motion on the new National Maternity Hospital. Leader Eamon Ryan (right) has revealed that he told the Taoiseach and Tánaiste of the decision to do so before it was signed off by the party. File picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

A six-month expulsion imposed on two Green Party TDs was an "internal" issue, but the Taoiseach and Tánaiste were informed of the sanction before it was signed off.

Eamon Ryan has revealed he told the Taoiseach and Tánaiste of the likely expulsions before his party had agreed on the sanctions.

Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello have been suspended from the party after voting with the Opposition on a motion on the new National Maternity Hospital, leaving the Government with the slimmest of majorities.

Asked whether anyone had approached him from other parties demanding heads, Mr Ryan said: "No, it was a Green Party issue, we managed it ourselves. I don't think anyone from any other party came next nor near us."

But ahead of the vote, Mr Ryan said he had informed Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar of "what we were likely going to be doing" in relation to sanctions against the two TDs.

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“I talked to them both earlier on in the afternoon," he confirmed, adding that he speaks to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste "every day".

He said the expulsion decision was one that the parliamentary party had “agreed to by consensus”. Mr Ryan said the two TDs have "strong views and they are entitled to that, but we manage it in our way."

He added: “Our parliamentary party yesterday showed real consensus. We have strength. And this is part of our tradition in terms of how we work collectively, including applying sanctions. I think we did that in a way that was totally appropriate.

“We’re in a very strong and important position in Government, we have real responsibility to deliver the programme for government, which is very green and which I believe is going to be good for the people of this country and, in that, strength comes when you’re strong in government working with your coalition partners when everyone votes with government,” he said.

“For that reason - and it was with regret - the chief whip came, and the parliamentary party agreed that we should suspend two members who hadn’t voted with Government," Mr Ryan told reporters.