Dáil procedures committee condemns Gogarty outburst

THE DÁIL Committee on Procedure and Privileges has condemned the outburst by Green TD Paul Gogarty in the Dáil last week and told him his behaviour has brought the parliament into disrepute.

No further action appears to be contemplated in response to Mr Gogarty’s use of a four-letter expletive in the Dáil chamber during the debate on the social welfare cuts.

The committee chairman, Ceann Comhairle Séamus Kirk, has recommended that the standing orders of the Houses of the Oireachtas be strengthened to enable the Ceann Comhairle to take firmer action against members who behave in an unparliamentary manner.

Such actions are to include the power to retrospectively suspend a member from the House.

The committee met last night to discuss, among other issues, the question of decorum in the Dáil chamber following Mr Gogarty’s remarks.

There was agreement among committee members that the guidelines outlining appropriate use of language in the Dáil needed to be updated.

“To this effect, the committee has resolved to revise the current standards in order to make them more relevant and contemporary.

“It has referred this task to a subcommittee who will report back to the main committee on the matter,” the committee said in a statement.