DIVISIONS BETWEEN the coalition partners on the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill were “regrettable” and measures must be taken to ensure there was no repeat, a spokesman for Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley said last night.
The Minister’s spokesman was commenting in the aftermath of the final vote on the Bill in Seanad Éireann late on Tuesday night, when Green Senators Dan Boyle and Déirdre de Búrca abstained. It was passed by 35 votes to seven.
They also voted against a procedural motion from the Government to take the report or final stage on Tuesday rather than allowing extra time yesterday, but it was accepted by 24 to 20 votes.
The Green Senators, both of whom were nominated by the Taoiseach, expressed dissatisfaction with assurances from Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern on the strength of the provision for reviewing the legislation in 12 months’ time.
Senator Boyle, the party chairman, denied the vote had anything to do with the special convention of the Greens in Dublin this Saturday where the Lisbon Treaty and the Programme for Government will be discussed.
Mr Gormley had met the Taoiseach earlier on Tuesday evening to discuss the issue. Green Party sources say Mr Cowen agreed that their concerns would be met.
A Government spokesman said it was not the practice to disclose conversations between the Taoiseach and his Ministers.
Fine Gael leader in the Seanad Frances Fitzgerald said the abstention by the two Senators was “a pathetic display of weakness from the Green Party, a party that was demolished in the recent elections”.
Speaking on the Order of Business, she said: “If it is not going to vote for the Government, why does the Green Party not pull out of Government? Why does it continue to keep Fianna Fáil and this ineffectual Government in power?”
But Mr Gormley’s spokesman said: “It was regrettable, it was avoidable and measures must now be put in place to ensure that there is no repeat.”
Green Party Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan yesterday expressed his full support for the stance his colleagues took in the Seanad but added that the Government was determined to continue working collectively for the good of the country.
The Minister said there was no “major divide” among the Greens on the new legislation. “It’s unfortunate that we came to it with what we thought were very good suggestions and proposals that could help this legislation and there wasn’t an ability to agree on that, and Dan and Déirdre felt that they wanted to make a statement in that regard.
“So I fully support them. You know we work collectively in government for the good of this country and we’re determined to continue doing that.”
He said there was no divide at the Cabinet table: “I’m determined to work in government for the good of this country and I think we can continue to do that and I am determined to do that.”
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan played down the dispute, telling reporters in Dublin: “We are working very closely with our Green colleagues and I met both of them yesterday to discuss issues that are very important to both of us in the context of our economy and I appreciate that it’s been very difficult for them as it has been for us.”