Mathews cautioned by Taoiseach

Fine Gael TD Peter Mathews was summonsed to appear before Taoiseach Enda Kenny at 6.30am yesterday after he provoked a vote at the finance committee which the Government lost, party sources said.

The outspoken Dublin South deputy embarrassed his colleagues when his demand for the governor of the Central Bank Patrick Honohan to attend a meeting of the finance committee before the deadline for paying €3.1 billion in promissory note debt was put to a vote on Wednesday night.

The unusual series of events took a farcical twist when Fine Gael TDs Liam Twomey and Kieran O’Donnell were locked out of the committee room after they had gone looking for other Government deputies to make up the numbers. The doors of committee rooms are routinely locked when a vote is being taken.

One member of the parliamentary party claimed yesterday that Mr Mathews was brought “in front of the Taoiseach at 6.30 this morning”.

The consensus among Fine Gael TDs and Senators was that Mr Mathews would not lose the whip or be otherwise punished as a consequence of his actions, however.

Dr Twomey played down the Government side’s defeat but accused Mr Mathews of political naivety. When a whip was applied at the meeting Mr Matthews voted against his own proposal, but it was passed by a combination of Opposition members despite the Government’s large majority in the House and on the committee.

“It’s not a major issue. I think Peter was naive in the way he allowed himself to be manipulated by members of the Opposition,” Dr Twomey said.

“It changes nothing. Patrick Honohan has offered to come before the committee in the month of April. He’s not available to come in the month of March and that should be respected.

“I know from past experience he can’t divulge any information that’s discussed a board level at the ECB, and he’s clearly stated that.”

Mr Mathews could not be reached yesterday. A letter Mr Mathews submitted to the committee was also signed by 16 other members of the 27 members, including two Fine Gael Senators and one Labour Senator.

The Fine Gael Senators were Tom Sheahan and Michael Darcy, while the Labour Senator was Aideen Hayden.

Also on Wednesday night, Opposition TDs sought an adjournment of the Dáil because no Government Minister or TD was present during a debate on mortgages. The absence of a single deputy from either Government parties is believed to be unprecedented in recent years.