TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has moved to shore up his Government’s position in the Dáil by holding out an olive branch to four Fianna Fáil TDs who have lost the party whip.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's This Weekprogramme yesterday, Mr Cowen said the Government was committed to making sure it had a working majority in the Dáil in order to do what was necessary on behalf of the country.
He said the four TDs who had lost the whip had been fully supportive of the Government.
“There are issues that arose during the course of this administration on which people took some decisions, but their support for the party is clear,” said Mr Cowen.
His comments came amid reports that at least some of the exiled TDs had been involved in discussions about returning to the parliamentary party.
The four outside the party whip are Dr Jim McDaid of Donegal North East; Dr Jimmy Devins and Eamon Scanlon, Sligo, and Mattie McGrath, Tipperary South.
The return of the four would give Fianna Fáil 74 seats in the 163-member Dáil at a time of growing uncertainty about the continued support of the Independents who have backed the coalition since the summer of 2007.
Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry and Kerry South TD Jackie Healy Rae voted against the coalition over the Stag Hunting Bill in July, and while they resumed their support on other issues before the Dáil summer break, their long-term commitment is now in doubt.
Former Galway Progressive Democrat TD Noel Grealish announced during the summer that his support has become conditional, and he is expected to act in tandem with Mr Lowry and Mr Healy Rae when the Dáil resumes at the end of this month.
The coalition narrowly survived a number of Dáil votes before the summer, and the attitude of the three Independents, who had been regarded as solid supporters, has led to doubts about the coalition’s ability to survive until the summer of 2012.
There were indications at the weekend that the three outstanding byelections would be held next spring.
The High Court is due to hear a case by Sinn Féin Senator Pearse Doherty on October 18th which is designed to force the Government into holding the byelection in Donegal South West to fill the vacancy caused the election of Pat “The Cope” Gallagher to the European Parliament in June 2009.
It is expected the Government will announce in advance of the court hearing that the Donegal, Waterford and Dublin South byelections will be held in the spring.
“The byelections are more likely next year than this given the run-in to the budget and the other major issues on banking stability,” Mr Cowen said yesterday.
Former minister Willie O'Dea called for the byelections to be held in the spring during an interview on the Late Late Showon Friday night.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said last week that the speculation about a spring date for the three byelections had convinced him a general election would be held by that stage at the latest.
He repeated this view during a visit to Donegal over the weekend to attend a meeting of the Fine Gael national executive.
“The arithmetic in the Dáil is tight enough as it is. I can see a general election happening before the end of spring.”
