FINE GAEL was accused of “political opportunism” in attempting to move the writ for the Waterford byelection but failing to do so in Dublin South after the resignation of George Lee.

Government Chief Whip John Curran made the accusation as the Fine Gael motion calling for a byelection date to be set was defeated by 77 to 72 votes.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said, however, that the party would introduce a motion next week requiring all byelections to be held within a six-month period of a vacancy arising.

In the second debate in a week on the byelections, Mr Curran defended the decision not to set a date. “The Government will be staying focused on bringing jobs” to Waterford in particular and on “lifting Ireland out of recession. That is the reason why we will vote against the motion,” he said.

Last week Sinn Féin attempted to move the writ for the Donegal South-West byelection following Pat “The Cope” Gallagher’s election to the European Parliament in June last year.

However, the Government Chief Whip said at the time that it would distract from the economy.

Mr Curran told the House then that it would not be “in the best interests of the people” if the Government and political parties “take their eyes off the recovery of the economy to focus our attention on the running of electoral contests”.

Mr Kenny said yesterday however that the byelection “is not distraction but a necessary democratic facility to allow the people to have their say and to elect their full representation”.

Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Kennelly (Waterford) said holding the three byelections would not “make a huge difference in here because the Government will still have a majority”. He said the electorate was focused on jobs.

Introducing the motion to allow a byelection, following the resignation of former minister Martin Cullen in March on health grounds, Mr Kenny claimed the Government “clings to power” and “exhibits political cowardice because it will not go before the people in this or any other constituency”.

John Deasy (FG, Waterford) said of a possible Dublin South byelection that “Fianna Fáil would be lucky to get 15 per cent of votes in the capital, an assessment that comes from Fianna Fáil’s own deputies”.

He said that the Government should “stop insulting the intelligence of my constituents. They know what the score is and understand why these byelections are not taking place.”

Brian O’Shea (Labour, Waterford) highlighted unemployment in the county which at 14,291, marked an increase of 1,216 on last year.

Mr O’Shea said “Fianna Fáil and the Green Party know that the judgment of the electorate of Waterford will be very harsh on their performance in Government so they are running away”.

Martin Ferris (SF, Kerry North) said the Government was refusing to hold three Dáil byelections but “Seanad byelections have been held quickly”.

He said: “Fianna Fáil is facing the worst election outing since the party was founded”.

Replying for the Government, Mr Curran said Fine Gael was breaking with convention whereby the party whose TD left moved the writ.

“I understand it would probably have been somewhat difficulty for Fine Gael to move the writ” for Dublin South from which its own TD resigned “even though it predates the vacancy caused by the departure of Martin Cullen”.

But Mr Kenny intervened and said that next week his party would introduce a motion for byelections to be held within six months of a vacancy arising.