Opposition threats amid Dáil speaking time row 'unhelpful', says Tánaiste

Tanaiste Simon Harris arriving for a Cabinet meeting at Parliament Buildings, Dublin. Picture: PA

Opposition threats to withdraw pairing arrangements or impede Oireachtas committees over a speaking time row are "unhelpful," the Tánaiste has said.

Simon Harris has criticized opposition parties over the row, saying that the matter needs to be sorted following "dozens upon dozens upon dozens" of hours of meetings.

On Tuesday, both Sinn Féin and Labour threatened to refuse to engage in key Dáil pairing arrangements with the government. Sinn Féin went one step further, saying that they could attempt to block the formation of Oireachtas committees.

Mr Harris said that parties needed to "tone it down" and work together to find a way forward to resolve the row.

“I think some of the language that has been used is unhelpful and some of the actions threatened unhelpful as well,” Mr Harris said.

A meeting of the Dáil’s reform committee is due to take place this afternoon, with opposition party leaders set to meet one another in advance of that meeting.

Opposition TDs fear that the Government will force through changes to the operation of the Dáil, given its majority on the committee.

Government proposals tabled last week called for the introduction of specific speaking slots for the Regional Independent Group to question government ministers, including the Taoiseach.

This comes in response to Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy’s ruling that the Regional Independent Group — which has pledged support for the Government — could not form a technical group as part of the opposition.

Mr Harris said that the issue has been "completely and utterly misrepresented," while accusing TDs of being disingenuous on the matter.

At the reform committee meeting, the Government will support its argument with research on how other parliaments handle speaking rights for groups supporting the government.

The research examined four parliaments that typically deal with minority governments, including Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and New Zealand.

It found that the presence of independent TDs "is a feature of Irish parliamentary democracy not found in the other parliaments studied."

However, it adds that fragmentation is present in all four parliaments studied, with small parties found in each.

The research outlines that in New Zealand, government formation includes ministerial positions being offered to parties that support an executive. These positions are known as "ministers outside Cabinet" and are similar to junior ministers in Ireland.

It found in the Spanish Congreso, there is room for one “mixed group” of MPs who are not in any other party or grouping. This is similar to the Dáil’s technical group system.

In Denmark, the rules are set out that allow each parliamentary group to speak on any proposal, with any MP permitted to speak in debates.

The Government will use this research to back up their argument to allow the introduction of specific questioning rights for the Regional Group.

The Tánaiste has argued that the Government are not attempting to take speaking time from the opposition.

“This is about actually recognising everybody's mandate in the Dáil, in our national parliament,” Mr Harris said.

“It is not unusual for Government TDs or government MPs in other countries to ask their head of government a question in parliament.” 

However, the Government has been criticised by opposition parties over their proposals to cut down on the number of ‘Taoiseach’s Questions’ from two sessions per week to one.

Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy wrote to all members of the reform committee on Tuesday, saying that she wanted to facilitate “consensus” and bring discussions to a close.