THE JOB of Ceann Comhairle is to preside impartially and with authority over Dáil proceedings. No one can question John O’Donoghue’s impartiality in performing that role. But many, including most party leaders in the Dáil, openly question whether he retains the full confidence of TDs or the public and whether he now has the necessary authority to discharge his duties.
In different ways, the leaders of Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party have called Mr O’Donoghue’s authority into question, thereby implying serious reservations about his future as Ceann Comhairle. They have asked him to provide a much fuller explanation of the expenses he has incurred since his election as Ceann Comhairle over two years ago. He has promised to address the issues raised by Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore at a meeting of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission tomorrow. Judgment may be suspended until then.
Mr O’Donoghue has already apologised, albeit tardily and in a less than satisfactory manner, for the high level of expenses he incurred as Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism. His defence was that as minister he would not be aware of the costs of travel and hotel accommodation as others made the arrangements. The costs incurred – which he accepts were “considerable” – were not paid to him but to service providers on his behalf and were legitimate expenses in accordance with official guidelines.
As Ceann Comhairle, Mr O’Donoghue’s penchant for foreign travel, to judge from his sizeable expenses since his appointment two years ago, is undiminished despite his change of status. In that time, he has spent some €90,000 on trips abroad. As speaker of a national parliament he is a representative figure and has specific responsibilities which include representing Dáil Éireann at international meetings of parliamentarians and acting as official host to visiting parliamentary delegations. Nevertheless, his predecessors as Ceann Comhairle discharged these same duties with no less efficiency and, it would seem, at much less cost.
The Constitution fully recognises the importance of the Ceann Comhairle’s role as the impartial arbiter of parliamentary proceedings. It provides for the automatic re-election of the office holder as a member of an incoming Dáil. By tradition the Ceann Comhairle is debarred from active involvement in politics while free to make representations for constituents. Why then has Mr O’Donoghue greatly expanded staff numbers in his office and employed a political adviser.
These appointments are questionable, costly and difficult to justify. For an office that is above politics, what role does a political adviser play? Of the extra office staff, how many are employed in constituency service for Mr O’Donoghue? Hopefully, he will address these issues tomorrow. An age of excess has given way to one of austerity, a change the Ceann Comhairle has been too slow to recognise. His failure to lead by example has greatly diminished his authority and placed a question over his future. This is a question that he, or his Oireachtas colleagues, will have to answer quickly.