Mairead Farrell put forward as Brian Stanley replacement at PAC
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
Mairead Farrell took a step closer to becoming the chairwoman of the the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday as a vote on her nomination was approved.
It comes after current chairman Brian Stanley resigned from Sinn Féin amid a controversy relating to a complaint made against him.
The chairs of committees are normally appointed through a system which is designed to proportionately reflect each party’s representation in the Dáil chamber.
The move to formally change the make-up of the committee will go to the Dáil for approval next week.
Sinn Féin has proposed Ms Farrell as the new chairwoman of the committee. She is already a member of PAC and would be the first woman to chair the committee.
The party wants Mr Stanley removed from the committee with the empty seat to be filled by Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy as a returning member.
Representatives from Government and opposition parties had suggested they would not co-operate with a new Sinn Féin chair until the party provided full transparency on recent scandals.
However, Sinn Féin chief whip Padraig Mac Lochlainn noted that Ms Farrell’s and Mr Carthy’s nominations passed through an Oireachtas selection committee unanimously on Thursday.
Mr Mac Lochlainn said he was “challenging” Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party to “be consistent with the democratic system” when the proposal goes forward for formal Dáil approval.
He said: “Four ministers have resigned or been sacked during the lifetime of this Government – two senior ministers and two junior ministers – in controversial circumstances.
“At no occasion were the committee changes that followed objected to. It would be unprecedented to attempt to intervene in this democratic process.”
The committee sat for the first time since Mr Stanley’s resignation from Sinn Féin on Thursday morning.
Vice-chairwoman Catherine Murphy, from the Social Democrats, oversaw proceedings as the body interrogated the financials statement of the Charities Regulator and held a subsequent sitting on internal matters.
Mr Stanley was not present for the sittings which passed without incident.
