Cabinet meets this morning to sign off, among other things, on ministerial travel plans for St Patrick’s Day. The White House invite hasn’t landed yet, but that won’t halt preparations for a blitz of Republican-voting states, with up to 11 Ministers heading Stateside. The Trump threat will also concentrate minds at a meeting of EU trade ministers this afternoon, which Tánaiste Simon Harris will attend.
Potential reforms to the housing market aren’t ready for Cabinet yet – Ministers will meet as a Cabinet subcommittee next week – but one to watch today is how this debate plays out.
The Taoiseach has put a Fianna Fáil stamp on the debate in the last few days – to an extent that has caused surprise among some in Fine Gael. His intervention on Rent Pressure Zones came first (recall that the Fine Gael election manifesto call was to retain the RPZs), while the Fianna Fáil leader was hardly pouring cold water on The Irish Times reporting that tax breaks could form part of a package to stimulate building.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, whose department is allergic to early chat about tax breaks, is out talking to the media in the afternoon – keep an eye on this to see where the story goes next.
Simon Harris says Government should not ‘make policy on the hoof’ as he defends rent controls
Cabinet prepares to sign off St Patrick’s Day blitz of US Republican states
Angela Kerins says she was ‘nearly destroyed’ by Dáil committee experience
Deliverance almost at hand for Coalition’s overdue triplets after Michael D summons the Seanad
Meanwhile on the plinth yesterday, the Social Democrats shared the outcome of their review of the Eoin Hayes saga.
To briefly recap: Hayes lost his party’s whip indefinitely after making incorrect statements about when he sold shares in his former employer, tech firm Palantir, which has controversial links with the Israeli military.
Anybody hoping that this would mark some sort of resolution was left scratching their heads, as acting leader Cian O’Callaghan outlined that the outcome of the review was ... exactly the same as what existed before. Hayes remains in purgatory, the SocDems national executive having endorsed the indefinite removal of the whip, meaning it will continue, well, indefinitely.
During a skittish outing, the party said Hayes remained a member, but didn’t outline how he might come back into the parliamentary fold. Could he approach them? Yes. Might he be asked back? Also yes. Was there a timeline on this, or could he apologise, or donate the proceeds from his share sale to ease matters? That hasn’t been discussed.
So after the conclusion of the much-awaited review, the issue remains in limbo – with nothing answered and nobody satisfied. It’s a puzzling outcome, if it can be called that, and some party sources privately feel uncomfortable with the situation. The SocDems parliamentary party meets today – what chance some clarity after that?
Best reads
A free for all is not an option: our editorial on the housing brouhaha is here.
Deliverance is at hand for the baby ministers, says Miriam Lord.
Just how could a new system of rent regulation work? Niamh Towey has a look.
Keir Starmer’s tightrope act is no reason for Irish smugness, writes Michael McDowell.
Derek Scally on the fall and fall of Germany’s Free Democrats.
Playbook
Cabinet meets at Government Buildings at 9am, with the agenda covering a plan for Ireland to join Cern, Ireland’s plan to tackle child poverty, as well as the aforementioned ministerial travel agenda for St Patrick’s Day. Here’s what’s up for discussion.
In the Dáil, topical issues is at 9.12am, followed by a Labour motion on housing at 10am. Leaders’ Questions is at midday, followed by Questions on Policy or Legislation and Taoiseach’s Questions. There are yet more statements on the programme for government after lunch, but the main business in the evening will be legislation enabling the appointment of three new junior ministers.
In the evening, there will be a deferred vote taken on a motion on Palestine.
The Seanad is back in action with a new intake of Senators, sitting from 2.30pm.
As mentioned above, Paschal Donohoe will do a doorstep following the launch of the OECD Economic Survey of Ireland, around 2.30pm.
The meeting of EU trade ministers on Trump and tariffs is scheduled for 3pm.
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