My voting protocol and vote pairing as an opposition TD

First published February 2025 and updated as pairing arrangements are inputted

Pairing of votes

"NB - Precluded from voting as was officially paired - speech below outlines my position"

If you see the above comment beside a Dáil video or written transcript this means I was unable to vote by prior arrangement. Government Ministers routinely ask opposition TDs to “pair” with them or refrain from voting on given days to allow them to carry out their business elsewhere, largely when they are either ill, on parental leave or at public engagements related to their work in Ireland or abroad. This arrangement is a long-standing parliamentary practice, with the exception of budgetary and confidence votes.

As an Independent TD not part of any Government grouping I’m happy to facilitate this from time to time, but not on a routine basis. Tuesday votes are largely just for the Order of Business, while Wednesday would be for the main voting block which can include anthing from two to up to ten block votes, depending on amendments. This would also impact on Committee/Report Stage amendments on the day in question, if there are any.

I will keep a record below of dates I have agreed to pair (usually arranged in advance of the Order of Business with the Whips Office) so people are aware of what the situation is:

Pairing dates 2025

• Tuesday 18th February (OB)

• Wednesday 19th February

• Wednesday 25th June

• Tuesday 23rd September (OB)

• Wednesday 24th September

• Tuesday 30th September (OB)

• Wednesday 1st October

• Wednesday 26th November (two slots, not main voting block)

Pairing dates 2026

• Wednesday 18th March

• Tuesday 21st April (OB)

• Wednesday 22nd April

• Tuesday 28th April (OB)

• Wednesday 6th May

• Tuesday 12th May (OB)

• Wednesday 13th May

• Wednesday 24th June

• Wednesday 15th July (after 5pm)

• Tuesday 20th October (OB)

• Wednesday 21st October

---

Voting protocol

I voted against the current Government formation based on the flawed Programme for Government and the coalition agreement made with rural independents that created addition ministries and added to costs without adding fresh or progressive ideas. i also voted no confidence in the Government during the 2026 Confidence motion.

I have largely supported any sensible opposition party motions, including from my own Technical Group which is set up to facilitate speaking time only. Sometimes I have supported Second Stage opposition bills, even if I was not 100% in agreement so as to facilitate further debate.

As an opposition TD my main role is to hold the Government to account, so my votes therefore have been overwhelmingly against the Government parties and groupings. However on a small number of occasions I have voted with the Government or abstained under the following circumstances:

• If I felt a vote called on the Order of Business (time scheduling) was more about point scoring than something meaningful

• If I agreed with a proposal to shorten debate time on straightforward matters so as to allow more speaking time for other issues

• If I felt the proposal actually made sense and was worth passing, or elements within it superseded other reservations

• If a particular motion of confidence in a person was tied into abusive or bullying behaviour in the chamber or appeared to be about grandstanding rather than focusing on a matter of public interest