TDs Take 12-Weeks Off

The Dáil has voted for its own holidays - and won't be sitting again until September 29th.

Opposition parties objected to the 12-week break but the government won a vote on the matter by six votes.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said it was "nonsense" to suggest the Government was going on holidays during the Dáil recess.

He said all Oireachtas committees would continue to sit, and preparations for the budget would continue during the summer break.

But Fine Gael accused the government of running scared

"Only a madman, a Martian or a member of this Government would believe that the Dáil should shut down for 12 full weeks," said Fine Gael chief whip Paul Kehoe.

"The economy is in the doldrums, 450,000 people are on the dole, there are cuts to vital services and the stack of legislation still to be processed is a mile high.

"Fianna Fáil and the Greens are running scared. As they have done for three years, the two Government parties are putting their own political interests ahead of those of the public."

Labour leader Eamonn Gilmore asked the Government to reconvene the Dáil for one day at the beginning of September to introduce a Bill for the promised referendum on children's rights, and to move the writ for three bye-elections which need to be held.

One of the constituencies involved, Donegal South West, has been without one of its TDs for over a year.

But the government's majority is now so small, that it's worried that if it lost all three seats, the very future of the coalition would be in trouble.

Tanaiste Mary Coughlan defended the 12-week break saying: "I think it appropriate we have that recess to allow time for every member of this House to take a justifiable occasion of at least two weeks off".

Sinn Féin's Coaimghin O'Caolain said they should forget about taking a break, and just break up altogether.

"Recess, be damned," he said, "Let us have the Dáil dissolved and let the people decide."