IN MARCH of last year, 16 small party and Independent TDs with diverse ideologies came together to form the technical group in order to gain similar speaking rights to established parties in Leinster House.
There were 11 Independent members of the technical group before the Wexford TD and developer Mick Wallace stepped aside.
Remaining members include Shane Ross (Dublin South), former business editor of the Sunday Independent; Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central), who has been a TD for 10 years, and Maureen O’Sullivan (Dublin Central), who succeeded the late Tony Gregory.
Former Fianna Fáil TD Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South); Luke “Ming” Flanagan (Roscommon- South Leitrim), the prominent turf- cutting advocate; and former management consultant Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow) are also involved.
Catherine Murphy (Kildare) is the group’s whip, while other members includ Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West), John Halligan (Waterford) and Tom Fleming (Kerry South).
The five TDs elected under the United Left Alliance (ULA) umbrella are also part of the technical group, although they were not involved in asking Mr Wallace to leave the group yesterday.
The ULA comprises Socialist TDs Joe Higgins (Dublin West) and Clare Daly (Dublin North), and People Before Profit TDs Richard Boyd-Barrett (Dún Laoghaire) and Joan Collins (Dublin South Central), as well as Séamus Healy, who represents the Unemployed Action Group in Tipperary South.
Mr Healy has said Mr Wallace should resign.
The three Independent TDs who declined to join the group were Michael Lowry (Tipperary North), Noel Grealish (Galway West) and Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South).
