Dual mandate Bill may be challenged

Legislation banning TDs and Senators from sitting on local authorities will be finally accepted by the Dáil today, though a constitutional challenge is still on the cards.

The Local Government Bill 2003, piloted by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen will conclude Report and Final Stages in the Dáil this afternoon.

The President, Mrs McAleese, will have up to seven days to decide whether to sign the Bill into law, or refer it to the Supreme Court to verify its constitutionality.

However, Fine Gael Mayo TD, Mr Michael Ring, insisted that he would launch a court challenge, though he still hoped that the President would refer the Bill to the Supreme Court.

He said he would announce the names of his legal team "in a couple of weeks time" as he was reluctant to do so now.

"I don't want to say until then who they are," he told The Irish Times yesterday.

Despite doubts among his fellow TDs, Mr Ring insisted that a number of them have already offered €500 contributions to fund a court battle, though some have not followed through on their promises to do so.

"I am looking for €500 from people. People can either cough up, or cough out. So far, though, I am happy with the level of support on offer," he commented.

The Mayo TD believes that it is unconstitutional to ban any member of the Oireachtas from sitting on local authorities, and that such a change will leave many current TDs at risk of losing their seats.