Donegal TD Charles Ward has hit out at Government and Minister James Lawless, as the row over speaking time for Goverment backbench Independent TDs continues.
He has criticised recent comments made about the speaking time debate by Minister Lawless, who cited Ward being given the opportunity to speak in Leaders’ Questions as the sole representative of the 100% Redress Party in Dail Eireann.
In the media this week, the Minister criticised the fact that Ward had three speaking opportunities in one week while his Government backbench colleagues in Fine Gael and Fianna Fail had no such chance to speak.
Today, Deputy Ward has hit back at Lawless’ comments, and what he describes as Minister Lawless’ “ignorance and disregard” of the 100% Redress Party.
“Minister James Lawless’s comments on speaking rights expose just how little he knows or cares about the humanitarian crisis caused by defective concrete—an issue that has traumatised not just Donegal but half the counties of Ireland,” Deputy Ward said in a statement provided to Donegal Daily.
“His complete lack of understanding is made even more evident by the fact that he does not even realise that I am the leader of a political party. This level of ignorance and disregard is a damning indictment of a Government that refuses to acknowledge the suffering of tens of thousands of families.”
“Even more disgracefully, Lawless seeks to interfere in how an Opposition technical group chooses to distribute its allocated speaking time. This is disingenuous, undemocratic, and an outright attempt to mislead the public. The time allotted to a technical group is there for its members to divide as they see fit— not for a Government Minister to dictate. How dare he attempt to manipulate and interfere with this democratic process while his Government shuts down real debate and discussion behind closed doors?”
Deputy Ward says that Minister Lawless and his Government colleagues continue to show “clear disregard” for the defective concrete block crisis, and “arrogance” in their response to it.
“Unlike the Government and Lawless’s clear disregard for this crisis, my technical group has recognised the urgency and scale of the situation and has given weight and support to my work in advocating for affected homeowners. They understand that this is not a political game—it is a fight for justice for families who have been abandoned. Meanwhile, the Government’s response has been one of arrogance, indifference, and outright failure,” the Deputy said.
“It is bad enough that the Government attempts to co-opt independents to prop up its fragile administration. But now, we see an even more sinister attack on democracy—an attempt to exert control over how the Opposition’s speaking time is allocated. Let me be clear: the only say the Opposition has in holding the Government to account is through Leaders’ Questions and debates on the floor of the Dáil. Meanwhile, Government decisions are made behind closed doors, away from scrutiny, in a manner that sidelines the very people it is supposed to represent.”
Regarding the comments made by Minister Lawless comparing Deputy Ward’s speaking time to his backbench colleagues, Deputy Ward says that they are “extraordinary.”
“Minister Lawless argues that Government backbenchers should have more speaking time. This is an extraordinary claim. The role of the Opposition is to challenge, scrutinize, and expose the failures of Government—not to provide yet another platform for a ruling coalition that already controls policy-making. This attempt to curtail opposition voices is nothing short of an assault on democratic accountability.”
“Minister Lawless’s comments are an insult not only to me but to every Opposition TD who seeks to represent their constituents with integrity and determination. His words expose a Government that is increasingly arrogant, out of touch, and desperate to avoid being held to account.”
“The 100% Redress Party will not be silenced. We will continue to expose the Government’s failures and fight for those it has abandoned. We will not stand by while speaking rights are manipulated to suit those in power. The people of Ireland deserve better.”
