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05 Sept 2025
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05 Sept 2025
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TD Michael Lowry
A technical group, which includes Regional Independent Group TDs Michael Lowry, Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole and Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae, will not be allowed speaking time in the Dáil on the second day of attempting to elect Micheál Martin.
This is according to latest reports from Virgin Media's Gavan Reilly, who has said that the Ceann Comhairle bids to defuse the simmering Dáil row by telling TDs she will not allow speaking time for the Regional Independent Group today, while she seeks confirmatory advice from a senior counsel about how they should be recognised."
This comes after a day of chaos in the Dáil on Wednesday which saw the technical group members sit with opposition party members despite having been part of the Government formation talks, a move which opposition party members have criticised as splitting Regional Independents between Government and Opposition benches in the new Dáil and taking speaking time from Opposition parties.
READ NEXT: Tipperary TD Michael Lowry appears on RTÉ's Six One following Dáil chaos
Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit made a joint submission yesterday to the Ceann Comhairle arguing that the proposal contradicts the Dáil standing orders with Sinn Féin chief whip Pádraig Mac Lochlainn saying "It is absurd to allow Regional Independent TDs to form an opposition group when they have just agreed to support the government for the next five years."
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett added that “Regional Independent Group members are to become Junior Ministers and some will sit at Cabinet, and the lead negotiator and other members of the group have publicly stated that they are participating in and supporting the Government.
“In these circumstances it is simply untenable for the Regional Independent Group TDs in question to be part of the Dáil opposition.”
The Dáil reconvened this morning with the hopes of electing Micheál Martin in the next few hours.
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