Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has called on the Government to move "with all speed" to give the North's MPs the right to speak in the Dáil, claiming the Taoiseach has given him a commitment to this effect, Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent.
In an article in today's Irish Times Mr Adams says Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has already "given a commitment that MPs elected in the Six Counties will be able to speak in the Dáil".
However, a spokesman for the Taoiseach indicated last night that Mr Ahern's commitment was considerably less than this, and that he did not envisage northern MPs speaking in plenary Dáil sessions.
While not commenting directly on Mr Adams's assertion, the spokesman said Mr Ahern would seek to pursue an arrangement whereby Northern Ireland MPs would be invited to attend Oireachtas committees to discuss matters relating to Northern Ireland and the Belfast Agreement.
Ultimately, the spokesman said, this was a matter for the Oireachtas itself to decide after discussions between the parties. The spokesman said Mr Ahern had spoken of such a system in the Dáil last December and had said it "would not involve the granting of any rights or privileges, and there would be no constitutional implications or question of cutting across the architecture and operation of the Good Friday agreement".
Fine Gael and Labour yesterday expressed concern over the suggestion that northern MPs could acquire the right to speak in the Dáil. In his article today, Mr Adams suggests he believes he has been given a commitment to this effect. He says that as MP for West Belfast, "I should have the same right to speak on the Rossport Five in Co Mayo, or homelessness in Dublin, or drug problems in Limerick as Michael McDowell or Dermot Ahern have to speak on issues in Belfast or Derry. We want to see this done with all speed."
A Fine Gael spokesman said yesterday that his party "would have a problem with this" if it involved granting rights to speak in the Dáil.
"We have two parliaments and two jurisdictions and we can't see how it is appropriate that you would be elected to one and have the right to participate in another."
He said it would be "bizarre to have a situation where Sinn Féin people [in Northern Ireland] were elected to a parliament in London they did not attend, and attended one in Dublin to which they had not been elected".
Labour's deputy leader Liz McManus last night called on the Government to clarify what undertakings, if any, it had given Sinn Féin on this matter. She said it was "very important that nothing should be done that would compromise the role of the Oireachtas as the sovereign parliament of the State".
The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said last weekend that the Progressive Democrats do not agree Northern Ireland MPs should have an automatic right to address the Dáil.