Government benches amused as Stagg has a run at McGrath

DÁIL SKETCH:A ROW IN the Dáil and Fianna Fáil (and the Greens) were not involved. It's virtually unprecedented these days, and the Government benches could only sit in bemused and amused relief. The argument erupted when Independent TD Finian McGrath worried about funding for cystic fibrosis facilities at St Vincent's hospital.

Labour’s Emmet Stagg shouted over “you can give them the €45,000 you didn’t mention on the radio”.

McGrath had been on RTÉ radio earlier in the day and took the opportunity to tell the nation that no Labour Party TD had taken the 10 per cent pay cut that Finian volunteered for. Stagg was not amused, thus the mention of the €45,000 extra in funds that is allocated to Independent TDs.

McGrath was enraged at the reference and furiously roared over at Stagg: “you haven’t taken the cut yet and you passed the picket” outside Leinster House during the one-day strike by civil servants.

“I don’t get €45,000,” said the Labour TD.

“You’ve a brass neck,” said McGrath with red-faced relish.

“And you’ve a rubber-neck,” Stagg retorted.

After that, a brief lull with the usual row about holidays as the House adjourns for 12 days.

Enda Kenny didn’t know how long it took to “fly back from Dallas” in reference to Minister for Arts Martin Cullen’s premier travel to Texas, but he reckoned the House could sit on Wednesday and Thursday.

Eamon Gilmore said only four Bills had been passed this year, and of 18 promised by Government in this session only one had appeared. Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern had promised five and produced none.

And perhaps in defence of Labour TDs hanging on to their salaries, he stressed they managed to produce 16 Bills. If there was no Government legislation the Dáil could deal with theirs.

“They’re rubbish,” said Dermot Ahern.

Fianna Fáil provided the amusement again later when Fine Gael’s Alan Shatter was absolutely convulsed with laughter.

He recalled the by-now infamous live RTÉ TV piece from the Fianna Fáil ardfheis when correspondent David Davin

Power was surrounded by what the Fine Gael deputy referred to as “zombie” local election candidates.

Admitting to repeated viewings on You-tube of the episode, the Dublin South deputy could barely speak from laughter as he tried to make a point during debate on the Electoral Amendment Bill which caps local election spending.

Shatter believed limiting spending favoured Government candidates because they had the State machinery behind them and greater media opportunities (laughter).

He estimated that scenarios such as a Minister surrounded (laughter) by “groups of muted and startled candidates” (laughter) could be worth up to 10 per cent of a vote for those “zombie” candidates.

Minister for the Environment John Gormley couldn’t oblige. Unfortunately the deputy had not proposed a “zombie clause” amendment so he couldn’t deal with the issue.