Byelection Bills to put pressure on Government

FINE GAEL and an Independent deputy will introduce Private Members’ Bills proposing that byelections be held within six months of vacancies occurring, as Donegal South West, Dublin South and Waterford all remain without a TD.

The Government yesterday voted down a Fine Gael motion calling for a date to be set for a Waterford poll by 77 votes to 72, with party leader Enda Kenny accusing the Coalition of “political cowardice”.

Fine Gael’s environment spokesman Phil Hogan said Private Members’ time next week would be used to call for the amendment of the Electoral Act 1992, which contains no time limit within which a byelection should be held following the resignation or death of a sitting deputy.

“The Bill will ensure that all citizens are fully represented in the Dáil. It will prevent governments from blocking the filling of vacant seats as a cynical political tactic to suit themselves. Denying Irish voters their full representation will come to an end,” he said.

“There is absolutely no good reason why the voters of Donegal South West, Waterford and Dublin South should still be under-represented in the Dáil.

This situation, where party politics is put ahead of democratic representation should never have been allowed to occur, and should never be allowed to occur again.”

Government Chief Whip John Curran accused Fine Gael of “political opportunism”.

Fianna Fáil’s remaining Waterford TD Brendan Kenneally told the Dáil byelections “will not make a huge difference in here because the Government will still have a majority”.

Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan will today propose a similar Bill during the Order of Business in the Dáil requiring that byelections take place “no sooner than three months and no later than six months” after vacancies in constituencies occur.

Ms O’Sullivan will call for cross-party support for her proposed legislation, which she said was backed by former Fianna Fáil TD Joe Behan and Independent Finian McGrath.

“I believe byelections cannot be left to the whim of the political party in power....People are entitled to be adequately and properly represented in the Dáil. If we value the work of TDs we will ensure that constituencies are not left without that representation for indefinite periods of time.”

Ms O’Sullivan, Tony Gregory’s former election agent, won the Dublin Central byelection in June 2009 brought about by his death in January of that year.

Donegal South West has had a vacant Dáil seat since Pat “the Cope” Gallagher was elected as an MEP for the North West constituency in the European elections last June. Dublin South was left without a TD when former RTÉ economics editor George Lee resigned suddenly in February.

In Waterford, former minister Martin Cullen stepped down in March on health grounds.

The Government’s voting strength in the Dáil stands at 84 seats. The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party has 71 TDs. Dr Jim McDaid, Dr Jimmy Devins and Eamon Scanlon resigned from the parliamentary party but remain party members and have consistently voted with the Government.

Support also comes from the six Green TDs, two former PDs, Minister for Health Mary Harney and Noel Grealish, and two Independents, Jackie Healy-Rae and Michael Lowry.

On the Opposition side, Fine Gael has 51 TDs, the Labour Party has 20 and Sinn Féin has four. Mr McGrath and Ms O’Sullivan usually vote against the Government but not exclusively, while Mr Behan cannot be counted on by either side. If the three are included with the Opposition, total Opposition strength comes to 78.

Green Minister Eamon Ryan has said his preference would be to have the byelections with Dublin mayoral election and a children’s rights referendum in the autumn.