The Government expects the motion of confidence in Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy will be easily passed after a two-and-a-half hour debate this afternoon.
As expected, the Government on Monday brought forward an amendment that essentially changed the Sinn Féin motion of no confidence into a Government motion of confidence.
This will allow the Government to control the debate, by opening and closing it.
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Most TDs who spoke to The Irish Times on Monday were of the view that the bitter rows and acrimony of last week would not be repeated.
However, one Opposition TD said it would be “tense”. Another said it would be firm from both sides but not a noisy row.
As expected, the Opposition has tabled an amendment that notes that under Standing Order (rule) 10, the Ceann Comhairle must retain the confidence of both Government and Opposition members.
“That the Ceann Comhairle no longer retains the confidence of opposition TDs of this House”," it states.
The debate will focus on two separate themes.
The first is the way the Ceann Comhairle handled the debate last Tuesday, if she mis-stepped and if was there a reason behind that. The Opposition are obviously of the view that she sided with the Government, either through accident or design. The Government, and she, deny that.
Clerk of the Dáil Peter Finnegan published a report on Wednesday of last week that concluded Ms Murphy had complied with the proper procedures when deeming the changes to the Dáil Standing Orders (rules) were carried, without putting it to a vote.
A Sinn Féin analysis of the video recording of the proceedings last Tuesday has stated that there was a clear request from a TD that a vote be taken. It has maintained that Ms Murphy had not followed proper procedure in refusing the request. It is likely, also, that the request was not heard by her when deeming the motion to have been carried.
The second theme will hark back to the circumstances behind her appointment. It was obviously one of the preliminary confidence-boosting measures for the Lowry group of Regional Independents in the early days of government-formation negotiations with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. What were the other elements of the deal?
Cian O’Callaghan of the Social Democrats and Michael Collins of Independent Ireland have both pursued this line since January. Obviously there was some kind of arrangement hammered out with the Lowry group in relation to speaking rights.
The debate will begin at 3.55pm with the vote taken at 6.30pm.
Unsurprisingly, the Opposition whips dissented from the Government decision to amend the motion when the business committee met yesterday.
The new technical group, known as Other TDs, will have its first opportunity to speak as a distinct group during the debate today.
In advance of the vote, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has said his party’s two TDs will abstain in the confidence vote.
“There is no doubt that Verona Murphy made mistakes on that day. But the people complaining of those mistakes are the people who made the working environment impossible last Tuesday,” said Mr Tóibín in a statement.
