MICHAEL O’REGAN
Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl has urged TDs engaged in a filibuster delaying the passage of the controversial Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill to rethink their strategy.
He told the Dáil on Wednesday night that while the filibuster could be used as a tactic in the House, they should consider “if it was the best use of parliamentary time’’.
Independent TDs Michael and Danny Healy-Rae, Mattie McGrath and Michael Collins called several votes on amendments they had moved and those moved by Minister for Transport Shane Ross.
In all cases, they failed to make up the required number for the vote to go ahead.
They have argued that the Bill puts motorists in rural Ireland at a disadvantage because of the lack of public transport.
The Bill, which provides for an automatic driving ban for first-time offenders driving with excess alcohol, is having a prolonged and chaotic passed through the Dáil.
Last month, Leas Cheann Comhairle Pat “The Cope’’ Gallagher suspended the House amid heated exchanges about the Bill.
