NEW GROUPING:THE TECHNICAL group formed from Independent deputies and the five United Left Alliance TDs is likely to number between 15 and 17 people, its acting chairman has said.
Finian McGrath, Independent TD for Dublin North Central, said yesterday that 10 of the 15 Independent deputies had told him they were “very interested” in joining the group.
He said he also had a meeting at noon yesterday with the Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins. Mr Higgins told him the grouping of five ULA TDs was also “extremely interested in joining”.
Mr McGrath said of the 15 Independent TDs, nine had given a commitment and he was confident others would join.
Combined with the ULA contingent, that would bring the strength of the technical group to either 16 or 17.
Mr McGrath said all 19 TDs have been invited to a meeting this afternoon to finalise the arrangements. A formal application to have the group recognised would be made to the clerk of the Dáil, Kieran Coughlan, tomorrow.
The five deputies who have not given a commitment as yet are Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry, South Tipperary Independent Mattie McGrath, Galway West TD Noel Grealish and the two Independent deputies from Kerry South, Michael Healy-Rae and Tom Fleming.
Yesterday Mr McGrath said Mr Grealish had indicated he would be voting for Enda Kenny as taoiseach when the 31st Dáil convened tomorrow, a move that would all but rule him out of the group.
He said no contact has been made with Mr Fleming yet. He was also waiting to hear back from Mr Lowry after initial contact was made.
The other two Independents, Mr Healy-Rae and Mattie McGrath will both attend today’s meeting. Neither has given a commitment to join the technical group.
The Dublin North Central Deputy said progress had been very good, and many of the deputies were in favour of joining because of the many rights that forming a large technical group would confer.
He said if the numbers stack up, the group would have almost the same parliamentary and committee rights as Fianna Fáil and would have more than Sinn Féin .
“It will give us rights to ask questions at Leaders’ Questions, to ask priority question of Ministers in the Dáil, to bring forward Private Members’ motions for debate, and also to introduce new legislation in parliament,” said Mr McGrath.
“Equally important, it also gives us rights to be on committees, including the Public Accounts Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Justice Committee.”
He pointed out that the grouping imposed no obligation on any TD to follow a particular policy.
“It is merely a technical arrangement. We put a great emphasis when getting the group together on the differences and diversity of views. Everybody will be allowed to speak their own mind and hold their own positions.”
The other nine Independent TDs include a diverse mixture of right-of-centre, left-wing, centrist, and so-called “gene pool” deputies.
They comprise Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West), Luke “Ming” Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim), Shane Ross (Dublin South), Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow), Mick Wallace (Wexford), Maureen O’Sullivan (Dublin Centre), Mr McGrath (Dublin North Central), Catherine Murphy (Kildare North) and John Halligan (Waterford).