Taoiseach and Tánaiste expected to meet opposition leaders to avert further Dáil chaos

Tánaiste Simon Harris and Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Áras an Uachtaráin on Thursday for the Presidential Distinguished Service Awards ceremony for the irish abroad. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The Taoiseach and Tánaiste are expected to meet opposition leaders on Tuesday in a bid to avert further Dáil chaos over speaking rights.
It comes as lengthy discussions failed to reach agreement in what has become a protracted row centred around Michael Lowry’s regional technical group, which is seeking speaking slots during opposition time despite supporting the Government.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik spoke to Micheál Martin and Simon Harris by phone on Sunday on the matter while Sinn Féin president Mary Lou Donald has also demanded a discussion of leaders from across the Oireachtas.
Ms McDonald has said that while the opposition is willing to consider all proposals, parties are “not prepared to be pushed around by the Government”.
Mr Martin is out of the country on Monday as he attends a meeting of EU leaders, so Tuesday afternoon is the earliest that a cross-party meeting is possible.
It is understood the opposition has asked that a meeting of the Dáil reform committee, which engaged in over 10 hours of discussions last week, be pushed back until after leaders meet with Mr Martin and Mr Harris.
It means that any solution could go down to the wire ahead of the next Dáil sitting on Wednesday.
It comes as Mr Martin has been urged to appoint women and those from minority backgrounds as part of his Seanad appointees after coming in for criticism over his choice of ministers.
Labour TD Marie Sherlock said the Government leaders will show their “real colours” with the 11 Taoiseach’s nominees that are due to be announced in the coming days.
Ms Sherlock said: “Do they want to have the reality and diversity of our country reflected in our parliament or will they look after their own?
“By right, we should see women and LGBTQ promoted from migrant, trade union, and other rights-based organisations so we can begin to claim that the legislature is becoming more like a mirror of society itself,” she said.
Counting continued in Seanad panel elections on Sunday, with a number of high-profile candidates, including former Sinn Féin presidential candidate Liadh Ní Riada and environmentalist Éanna Ní Lamhna, failing to win a seat.
Former Fianna Fáil minister Anne Rabbitte also lost out along with former senators Paul Gavan and Eugene Murphy.
Cork Fine Gael councillor Eileen Lynch and former Fianna Fáil Cork South-West TD Margaret Murphy O’Mahony will take up seats in the Seanad along with Sinn Féin’s Chris Andrews, who lost his Dublin Bay South Dáil seat in last year’s general election.
Aontú secured its first Seanad seat with the election of Sarah O’Reilly over the weekend, while the first Labour party candidate to cross the line was Nessa Cosgrove.