JOHN O’DONOGHUE formally resigned as Ceann Comhairle yesterday, contending that he became the scapegoat for an expenses regime that had fallen into disrepute, and also attacking Labour leader Eamon Gilmore for his “pre-emptive assertion of no confidence”.
In his half-hour valedictory speech to the Dáil yesterday, the outgoing Ceann Comhairle made a prolonged and emotional defence of his record in the controversy surrounding his foreign travel expenses, both in his current position and as minister for arts, sport and tourism between 2002 and 2007.
He maintained his overseas travel spending was not markedly different from other Ministers; that his constitutional role as Ceann Comhairle restrained him from public comment during the controversy; and repeatedly alleged that Mr Gilmore’s call for his resignation in the Dáil last week had denied him the right to defend his position.
The Fianna Fáil TD for Louth, Séamus Kirk, was elected to succeed Mr O’Donoghue as Ceann Comhairle later yesterday afternoon.
Mr Kirk (64), a former Minister for State and the chairman of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party since 2002, was elected by 87 votes to 51 votes over Donegal South West TD Dinny McGinley, the nomination of Fine Gael.
Mr Kirk’s nomination was not opposed by the Labour Party on the basis that one of its TDs, Brendan Howlin. is the serving Leas Cheann Comhairle.
A Government spokesman said later that Taoiseach Brian Cowen had phoned the other party leaders at lunchtime to inform them that he would be nominating Mr Kirk.
An Oireachtas spokeswoman said last night that no decision had yet been made on staffing in the office of the new Ceann Comhairle. Mr O’Donoghue’s had 10 staff, including a special adviser.
During the course of his half-hour speech, Mr O’Donoghue referred to Mr Gilmore by inference four times, alleging that his call for his resignation had denied him the opportunity to mount a defence.
“Patience in aid of fairness gave way, alas, to impatience to surf the political wave of competitive outrage. Lest it be said that the failure to give me a chance to defend myself has somehow embittered me, I want to acknowledge that the failure to afford me a right to be fairly heard arises from weakness rather than malice,” he said.
Mr Gilmore rejected the contention he had denied Mr O’Donoghue fairness or the right of reply.
He said he had wanted the matter dealt with on an all-party basis, but considered the Oireachtas Commission to be an inappropriate forum because it was an “in-house committee which meets in private”.
He argued that TDs also had a constitutional function “to represent the people who sent us here, and to express, on the floor of our national parliament, their opinions, their sentiments and their concerns”.
Mr O’Donoghue told the Dáil that he had become a symbol of an expenses regime that had been in operation for decades but had fallen into public disrepute.
“While there may be a difference of scale with some in this House there is no difference of principle between me and many others who are subject to these regimes,” he said.
He said all of his expenses were in accordance with Department of Finance guidelines, and he never acted in secret.
“I never transgressed any procedure, guideline or regulation. I never committed any offence. I am not guilty of any corruption.
“I never took money or abused my office for my own enrichment,” he said.
He accepted that, viewed through the prism of the current recession, some costs were excessive.