Technical Group
Encyclopedia
In Irish politics
, a technical group is a parliamentary group of Teachtaí Dála
(TDs) who associate to increase their speaking rights in Dáil Éireann
, the lower house
of the Oireachtas
.
s, meaning that smaller parties and independent
politicians would be unable to speak as often as parties with enough deputies to form their own groups. As a result, technical groups have been established from time to time. Under standing orders, only one technical group may exist at any time, with at least seven members and comprising a majority of deputies who are not members of another group in Dáil Éireann.
Recent examples of technical groups include:
Politics of the Republic of Ireland
Ireland is a parliamentary, representative democratic republic and a member state of the European Union. While the head of state is the popularly elected President of Ireland, this is a largely ceremonial position with real political power being vested in the indirectly elected Taoiseach who is...
, a technical group is a parliamentary group of Teachtaí Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TDs) who associate to increase their speaking rights in Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
, the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
of the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
.
Origin and policy
Only parliamentary groups with seven members or more have full speaking rights under Dáil standing orderParliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies, and other deliberative assemblies...
s, meaning that smaller parties and independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
politicians would be unable to speak as often as parties with enough deputies to form their own groups. As a result, technical groups have been established from time to time. Under standing orders, only one technical group may exist at any time, with at least seven members and comprising a majority of deputies who are not members of another group in Dáil Éireann.
Recent examples of technical groups include:
- 28th Dáil: a group of nine deputies formed in 1992.
- 29th Dáil: a loose federation of 22 oppositionOpposition (parliamentary)Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
deputies. Socialist PartySocialist Party (Ireland)The Socialist Party is a socialist political party active in Ireland. It is a member of the Committee for a Workers' International .Formerly known as Militant Tendency, then Militant Labour, it adopted the name The Socialist Party in 1996. From their foundation in 1972 until the 1980s, members of...
TD Joe HigginsJoe HigginsJoe Higgins is an Irish Socialist Party politician. In the 2011 general election he was elected to Dáil Éireann as Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency, having previously served in that capacity from 1997–2007...
was proposed by Tony GregoryTony GregoryTony Gregory was an Irish Independent politician and a Teachta Dála for the Dublin Central constituency from 1982 to 2009.-Early life:...
as leader for the purpose of asking questions in the Dáil. - 30th Dáil: a technical group was not created initially after the 2007 general election, because there were only five potential members - Sinn FéinSinn FéinSinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
's four deputies and Tony GregoryTony GregoryTony Gregory was an Irish Independent politician and a Teachta Dála for the Dublin Central constituency from 1982 to 2009.-Early life:...
. Most outgoing independents from the 29th Dáil lost their seats, Sinn Féin was reduced to four, the six Green PartyGreen Party (Ireland)The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
TDs became part of the government and three out of the four remaining independents made confidence-and-supplyConfidence and supplyIn a parliamentary democracy confidence and supply are required for a government to hold power. A confidence and supply agreement is an agreement that a minor party or independent member of parliament will support the government in motions of confidence and appropriation votes by voting in favour...
arrangements with the government. The election of Pearse DohertyPearse DohertyPearse Doherty is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He serves as a Teachta Dála for the Donegal South West constituency and as Sinn Féin's Dáil spokesperson on Finance. Doherty formerly served on Donegal County Council from 2004–07 and in Seanad Éireann from 2007–10.-Background and education:Doherty...
of Sinn Féin in a 2010 by-electionDonegal South West by-election, 2010A by-election was held on 25 November 2010 in the Donegal South–West constituency in Ireland, following the election of the Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála Pat the Cope Gallagher to the European Parliament at the June 2009 election...
allowed the formation of a group of seven, comprising the five Sinn Féin TDs and the left-wingLeft-wing politicsIn politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
independents Finian McGrathFinian McGrathFinian McGrath is an Irish independent politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North Central constituency since 2002.-Early and personal life:...
and Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (politician)Maureen O'Sullivan is an Irish independent politician. She has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin Central constituency since June 2009. She was first elected to Dáil Éireann on the 6 June 2009 in a by-election.-Early life:...
. - 31st Dail: after the 2011 general election, 16 of the 19 independent and United Left AllianceUnited Left AllianceThe United Left Alliance is an electoral alliance of left-wing political parties and independent politicians in the Republic of Ireland, formed to contest the 2011 general election...
TDs agreed to form a technical group. Finian McGrath is the current chair of the group with Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (politician)Catherine Murphy is an Irish Independent politician from Leixlip in County Kildare. She was re-elected to Dáil Éireann in February 2011 having served as a Teachta Dála for the Kildare North constituency from 2005–2007....
the group's whip, and Maureen O'Sullivan the assistant whip. The independent TDs that chose not to join the technical group are: Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae is an independent politician in Ireland. He was elected at the general election in February 2011 to the 31st Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for Kerry South....
, Michael LowryMichael LowryMichael Lowry is an Irish politician. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Tipperary North constituency and continues to enjoy high popularity in his constituency despite being the subject of a criminal investigation resulting from various scandals while in office.-Local government and...
and Noel Grealish.