Tipperary’s two Independent TDs will be on opposing sides of the confidence vote in Justice Minister Helen McEntee later.
Sinn Fein is putting it forward following the riots in Dublin last month, where buses, a Luas tram and Garda cars were set on fire, sparked by the stabbing outside a primary school on Parnell Square.
Leader of the Rural Independent Group Mattie McGrath will be supporting the Sinn Féin motion while Michael Lowry from the Regional Group will vote with the government.
While Deputy McGrath says he has no confidence in the Justice Minister he has questioned the timing of the motion by Sinn Fein.
He is also critical of Michael Lowry’s backing of the government.
“There was never a fear of the vote of confidence because there’s a band of Independents there they might as well join Fine Gael – one in our own county – they vote with the government no matter what goes on and they speak on two sides of their mouth. Look I have no confidence in the Minister for Justice, less in the Garda Commissioner but now is not the time.”
However Deputy McGrath is adamant that both Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Minister McEntee should go.
“I couldn’t possibility vote confidence in the Garda Commissioner when I have called publicly and privately in the Dail and elsewhere for him to either resign or go and this Minister is just totally inept, out of her depth totally with the situation. The most basic part of the justice system is to support the Gardaí and they’ve been ran down to nothing. So that’s one of the most fundamental aspects of our security policy is to have proper policing.”
