Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD has said that his party will be seeking legal advice on TDs’ voting rights after Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn was blocked from voting on the Social Welfare Bill.
The Donegal North East Deputy planned to vote against cuts today – but was prevented from doing so after his row in the Dail yesterday in which he accused the Ceann Comhairle of bias.
Teachta Adams said: “Padraig MacLochlainn TD was suspended on Wednesday from the Dáil. However he was quite rightly permitted to vote against the Social Welfare Bill earlier today but was then subsequently denied his right to vote at a later stage.
“The Ceann Comhairle’s defence for this is that this is the traditional way it has always been done in the Dáil. That’s not good enough. There are lots of traditions in the Dáil and Seanad that are archaic, anti-democratic and stifle proper debate.
“The denial of Teachta MacLochlainn’s constitutional right to represent his constituents and to vote against the government’s punitive Social Welfare Bill is wrong. Sinn Féin will be taking legal advice on this matter.”