The Cavan-Monaghan TD Dr Rory O'Hanlon was elected Ceann Comhairle yesterday in virtually the first action of the 29th Dáil. The former leas Ceann Comhairle, took up his new position after a brief delay in the proceedings.
The six Green party TDs occupied the seats of the Taoiseach and senior Cabinet members for a number of minutes before the start of the new Dáil session.
Their action went almost unnoticed by the wider assembly until they each held up a letter, which formed the word "gagged".
The Greens were protesting against what they called "political apartheid", which prevented them having enhanced access to Dáil procedures such as leaders' questions, private members' motions and priority Taoiseach's questions.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, stood at the back of the chamber for a few moments while the Government chief whip Mr Séamus Brennan talked to them. The party has demanded a change in standing orders, and its chairman, Mr John Gormley (Dublin South-East) said smaller parties and Independents were treated as second-class legislators.
Under current regulations there would have to be 13 TDs in alliance to form a technical group to garner these privileges. The Greens are now expected to have a further meeting with Mr Brennan to discuss the issue, and they moved to the Opposition benches after their protest.
Once the Dáil got underway the clerk, Mr Kieran Coughlan, formally announced the names of all the election returning offices and all 166 Dáil deputies who include 54 new TDs.
Then after the nominations for Ceann Comhairle, the equivalent of the Speaker of the House at Westminster, Dr O'Hanlon formally took up his new position.
He changed jobs with outgoing Ceann Comhairle Mr Seamus Pattison, (Lab, Carlow-Kilkenny) who now takes up Dr O'Hanlon's former role as leas Ceann Comhairle.
The Taoiseach nominated Dr O'Hanlon as a man with a "vast range of experience" in the Dáil and he nominated Mr Pattison to stay on as leas Ceann Comhairle.
The Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn acknowledged the generosity of the Taoiseach in nominating Mr Pattison whom he described as the "father of the House".
In his first address to the Dáil as the new leader of Fine Gael, Mr Enda Kenny nominated his party's parliamentary chairman, Mr Padraig McCormack, in the "spirit of the reforms". He said the Government would expect the smooth running of Government with "pairings" for Dáil votes and as such it should have shown a "gesture of independence".
However, none of the other parties or Independents challenged Dr O'Hanlon's nomination and he was voted in by acclamation and without a Dáil division.
He promised to "safeguard" the rights of TDs in the Dáil and he looked forward to playing his part in the modernisation of the Dáil and its administration.
