Ceann Comhairle had to use casting vote

CEANN COMHAIRLE Seamus Kirk was forced to use his casting vote to save the Government from defeat in a tied 63:63 procedural vote in the Dáil dealing with the 2010 estimates.

It is the first time since the 1980s a Dáil vote has been tied.

During a lengthy and rowdy Order of Business yesterday, the House was suspended for almost 20 minutes and three votes were called, as the debate about the ordering of Dáil business for the day lasted 2½ hours.

Seven Government TDs were absent without permission when the division on the revised estimates was called, although a number of them had been in for some of the votes. A further 13 deputies were either paired, away on official business or had permission to be absent. In an earlier division, the Government won by a single vote of 61:60 and a walk-through vote was called, when TDs cast their vote by passing through the ‘Tá’ and ‘Níl’ lobbies.

The seven missing TDs were Chris Andrews (Dublin South-East) who was reported afterwards to be ill and attending a GP; chairman of the parliamentary party John Browne (Wexford); Niall Collins (Limerick West); Beverley Flynn (Mayo): Tom Kitt (Dublin South); Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West) and MJ Nolan (Carlow-Kilkenny). The absent TDs have been summoned to a meeting next Tuesday with Government Chief Whip Pat Carey.

Matters directly related to the Finance Bill are the two areas where a defeat for the Administration results in the fall of the Government and an election.