Dáil to hear statements from four Fianna Fáil TDs on voting controversy tomorrow
Four Fianna Fáil TDs will be given an opportunity to make statements along with parties tomorrow over the Dáil voting controversy.
The Dáil's business committee agreed this morning that TDs Timmy Dooley, Niall Collins, Lisa Chambers and Barry Cowen would be given the opportunity to speak for 10 minutes each.
Other TDs and parties, including from government, will also be given 10 minutes each to speak about the scandal in the chamber.
The agreement for the discussion comes as the clerk of the Dáil Peter Finnegan separately conducts an investigation into three of the four Fianna Fáil TDs caught up in the controversy.
At the centre of the scandal is concern that TDs were voting for others who were not in the chamber, an act banned under Dáil rules.
Members found to have contravened the regulations could face a 30-day suspension from the Dáil. Mr Finnegan is speaking with tellers, TDs and party whips and is expected to complete his report by tonight.
At the business committee, the issue of whether the four TDs would take questions or not was not discussed by members. Parties have already been told that only members of government can take questions and not ordinary TDs.
Meanwhile, the business committee also agreed that there will be statements and the government will take questions about the resignation of a senior civil servant from the board of the children's hospital project.
The state's chief procurement officer resigned in July but the development was only revealed in the Irish Examiner earlier this week. The surging costs for the hospital will also be debated tomorrow in the Dáil when Health Minister Simon Harris is expected to face questions.
