The main topic on the agenda as the 34th Dáil meets for the first time since the general election today is the coveted post of ceann comhairle.
TDs will gather in Leinster House for the first sitting in nearly six weeks, with proceedings due to kick off at 10.30am when clerk Peter Finnegan will read the proclamation convening Dáil Éireann.
Then attention will turn to the ceann comhairle position. The favourite to take the prestigious role is Wexford Independent TD Verona Murphy who will be the first women to hold the job if she is successfully elected.
Follow all the updates from proceedings below.
Nadine Staunton, a mother-of-three from Dublin 7, has been on hunger strike outside Leinster House since Sunday protesting over the failure to find school places for two of her children who have autism, reports political correspondent Harry McGee.
Ms Staunton was outside the gates of the Dáil until 7am this morning when gardaí moved her down Kildare Street, where she is now on the pavement outside where Blooms Hotel used to be.
She is worried that without the proper care for their mental health and education, her three children will be left without proper support. She is particularly worried about her 12-year-old son who has not been offered a place in a special school.
“They keep telling me we are on a waiting list. We have been waiting for a psychology support for five years,” she said. “And we are also waiting for help from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).”
Ms Staunton said she is determined to stay on hunger strike until she gets a place in secondary school for her oldest son, and support for her second son who is aged nine.
“I have to look at my child’s life now so we know where he is going,” she said. “I don’t want them to go down the wrong road. (My eldest son) needs a secondary school. He needs to be somewhere where they can look after his additional needs.”
She praised local TD Gary Gannon for the support he has given her.
The secret ballot has now concluded and counting will begin at 12.15pm. The Dáil is suspended until 3.30pm. The result of who the new Ceann Comhairle will be is to be announced then.
TDs are beginning voting at eight polling booths at the back of the Dáil chamber, reports parliamentary correspondent Marie O’Halloran. They will be called row by row to vote in the secret ballot after which the votes will be counted in the antechamber of the Seanad.
In the final pitch to TDs, Sinn Féin’s candidate Aengus Ó Snodaigh (who is a Gaeilgeoir) said a chair was needed who could apply the rules in Irish and English and should be proficient in the first language.
He said that the chair had to be impartial and “rather than seeking limelight for themselves, facilitate members across the House coming together in a constructive manner in the best interests of all the people”.
He said “they must unquestionably be independent of Government”.
Ó Snodaigh said when casting their votes TD should ask themselves “who will stand up for the primacy of this House”.
He also said the office of Ceann Comhairle is “not in the gift of the Taoiseach of the day”.
He said there are people in the Dáil who are “diametrically opposed to what I believe in” but they are still friends and he has “cheekily” reached out to them looking for a vote and “I hope that many will [vote for him] given that it is a secret ballot.”
– reporting from Marie O’Halloran & Cormac McQuinn
In his pitch to TDs, outgoing Ceann Comhairle Sean Ó Fearghaíl referred to the “murderous regimes of Putin, Netanyahu and other dictators”.
Ó Fearghaíl also said TDs had a difficult choice to make.
“I pledge to be resolute and a steadfast support for you and to work for you each day, to treat you all with equal respect and dignity and to ensure that your voice is heard and as far as the new members are concerned, it’s a voice for change to ensure that you’re heard in this new Dáil,” he said.
“Together we can continue to work to strive to make this parliament the best possible version of itself and worthy of the trust and respect of the great Irish people who have sent us here to serve.”
He argued on Tuesday it was “not right” to use the position of Ceann Comhairle as a bargaining chip in government negotiations – a reference to Regional Group of Independent’s bid to get Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to back Verona Murphy for the job.
Addressing TDs, Ó Fearghaíl said he always intended to stand down but in the last days of the last Dáil he was approached by people encouraging him to run to bring “continuity” and “stability”.
He said that “after careful reflection” he decided to put himself forward, wryly adding: “I wonder today if that was such a good idea after all.”
However, he said there are 75 TDs (either newly elected or returning as a TD after previously losing their seat) who did not sit in the last Dáil and his aim if elected would be to help them to settle in to parliamentary life.
Ó Fearghaíl has said he would not serve a full term in the office.
– reporting from Pat Leahy, Marie O’Halloran & Cormac McQuinn
Wexford Independent TD Verona Murphy has also just finished making her pitch to the Dáil to be Ceann Comhairle.
She mentioned occasions where she filled in for the Ceann Comhairle and leas-cheann comhairle in the last Dáil and says she believes she carried out those duties with respect and impartiality.
Ms Murphy says she believes “this experience has prepared me for the position”
She tells TDs: “If elected I will execute the office of Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann without fear or favour.”
– reporting from Cormac McQuinn
Fianna Fáil candidate for Ceann Comhairle John McGuinness has made his pitch for the position, writes parliamentary correspondent Marie O’Halloran. He highlighted his time as Minister of State for Enterprise and his role as chair of the Public Accounts committee and the Finance committee. He opposed what he saw as the Government parties’ attempts “to control” the vote.
“I believe what is best for the members of this House is to work together to firstly, ensure that you have a parliament here that will function in your interests,” he said.
“And I have seen through my years of public service, I have seen where the Dáil chamber itself can often be sidelined.
“So I’m asking you as individuals of this parliament to consider the nominees that are before you today and to protect the interests of this House, the interests of democracy, and to elect the best person that you see fit to hold the position of Ceann Comhairle to defend your interests and the interests of the people that we represent”.
Elsewhere, political correspondent Cormac McQuinn reports: Fine Gael has a husband and wife team in the 34th Dáil. They are Colm Brophy (Dublin South-West) and Maeve O’Connell (Dublin Rathdown).
It has been a busy time in their household and Maeve tells reporters that Colm has told her he still has nothing for her birthday in two days time.
“Thanks for sharing that,” he says, adding: “I will I promise, by the 20th I will have something.”
Asked about Government formation prospects Mr Brophy says there is an “excellent opportunity” for one to be in place in January.
He said progress has already been made and “I think there is a strong desire there by ourselves, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to engage and talk to people now.
“We are doing that with the independents. We’re doing that obviously with the other smaller parties as well.
“I think after we come back after the Christmas break we should be able to and I hope we’ll be able to move very quickly to the formation of a new Government.”
With the names of all the TDs read out, the four candidates for the position of Ceann Comhairle are now making their pitch.
They are Fianna Fáil’s John McGuinness and Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Independent Verona Murphy and Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh. McGuinness is the first to make his case, with each candidate getting five minutes to speak to their fellow TDs.
As the names of the 34th Dáil continue to be read out, parliamentary correspondent Marie O’Halloran reports: With 14 additional TDs in the new Dáil a number will have to sit in what is called the “bear pit”, where civil servants usually sit, as advisers, when a Minister is dealing with legislation.
On the first day of the new Dáil those sitting in the bear pit include Fianna Fáil’s Catherine Ardagh, Robert Troy and Pat the Cope Gallagher, along with Fine Gael’s Frankie Feighan, Barry Ward and Jerry Buttimer.
After a pause for consultation it was realised the clerk had missed a page – the TDs elected for Galway West to Limerick City and County – which were then read out.
The Clerk of the Dáil Peter Finnegan, who chairs proceedings until the new Ceann Comhairle is elected, is reading out the names of the new TDs, reports political editor Pat Leahy. This will take some time.
TDs have begun arriving into the Dáil chamber as the five minute warning bell sounds before the start of proceedings to elect the new Ceann Comhairle, reports parliamentary correspondent Marie O’Halloran. TDs are only allowed one visitor on to the public visitors’ gallery.
Last week, civil servants did a run through of the vote. Some 167 officials filled the Dáil chamber to represent as many of the 174 TDs to conduct the secret ballot. The candidates chosen were characters from Christmas films.
Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh tells Claire Byrne on RTÉ radio that he believes he will have 60 or more votes in the race for Ceann Comhairle.
TDs will gather in Leinster House for the first sitting in nearly six weeks, with proceedings due to kick off at 10.30am when clerk Peter Finnegan will read the proclamation convening Dáil Éireann, write political correspondents Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn.
Mr Finnegan will announce the names of all TDs elected from across 43 constituencies. Focus will quickly turn to the election of a ceann comhairle, with Independent Wexford TD Verona Murphy in pole position thanks to pledged support from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
The ballot is secret, however, which could throw a spanner in the works.
Read Jennifer and Cormac’s full report here.
Simon Harris has tendered his resignation as Taoiseach to the President this morning, Political Editor Pat Leahy reports.
This is required to comply with article 28:10 of the Constitution – when the Taoiseach loses the support of the Dáil, he must resign from office.
Mr Harris will not be able to command a majority in the Dáil today, so he must resign. That also means all the Ministers for the Government are deemed to have resigned.
That does not, however, mean there is no Taoiseach and no Government – the Constitution stipulates that all Ministers and the Taoiseach remain in office until such time as their successors are appointed. There is never not a government.
Political editor Pat Leahy reports: TDs and their families are gathering at Leinster House in advance of the new Dáil’s first sitting at 10.30am.
There’s a heavy Garda presence around front and back gates, and a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators have gathered on Molesworth St to greet the new arrivals.
But many of the new arrivals are already in the Leinster House canteen, getting stuck into a hearty breakfast in advance of a big day.
Traffic restrictions are in place around Leinster House in Dublin this morning as the Dáil returns to elect a Ceann Comhairle, Tim O’Brien reports.
Gardaí are not revealing details of the security arrangements for operational reasons but it is expected access to the Kildare Street gate of the House will be closed to the general public. Diversions are expected around St Stephen’s Green, Nassau Street and Molesworth Street.
Vivienne Clarke writes: When asked if he would be voting for Verona Murphy to become Ceann Comhairle, Fianna Fáil TD for Clare, Timmy Dooley said “Yes, I am”.
“I think the reality is we’ve all been elected to this session, to this Dáil, to advance the policies that we put to the people,” he said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland. “We have to form a government.
No party got an overall majority. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have come together and they’ve had intense discussions with the regional independents and they’re working towards an outcome there that will see a government formed.
That’s what we were elected to do and it looks, based on the discussions today, that the best way of forming a majority, a stable majority over the course of five years is to get behind Verona Murphy.”
Mr Dooley denied that the appointment of Ms Murphy was “a bargaining chip” in negotiations. “If Fianna Fáil had a majority and we had 5 or 6 seats to spare, I suspect we would be just picking one of our own. We’d have an internal contest and we’d pick one of our own. I suspect any other party that was in the same position would do that.”
Playbook for the day
Cormac McQuinn writes: Proceedings in Leinster House kick off at 10:30am with the clerk Peter Finnegan reading the Proclamation summoning Dáil Éireann.
This is followed by the report on the issue of Writs for election of members and the announcement of the names of TDs returned.
The voting for the election of a Ceann Comhairle starts at 10:55am.
There is a break starting at noon as votes are counted.
The result of the Ceann Comhairle election is due to be announced at 3:30pm.
Time has been set aside for the nomination of a Taoiseach after that, though no names are expected to be put forward today.
The Dáil is expected to adjourn until the new year at 5:32pm.
