It looks Like Michael Lowry and others in his Regional Group of independents will be allowed to ask Ministers questions from the opposition benches.
In a statement this morning, Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy says a precedent for this was set during the confidence and supply agreement between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in 2016, during which Fianna Fáil “was still considered the main opposition party”.
She has invited any members of the Dáil Business Committee who do not agree to make a submission outlining any alternatives by close of business next Wednesday.
It’s attracted criticism from oppositions TDs who will losing speaking time to members who are supporting the coalition.
Irish Daily Mail Political Editor Craig Hughes says it’s a bit of a rocky start for the Tipperary TD:
”It does seem very, very difficult to reconcile the fact that people who were central to negotiating the programme for government, namely Michael Lowry and Danny Healy Ray, could somehow separately appear in the opposition benches.
”There’s a lot left to rumble in this controversy.”