No findings against Dooley but further action likely

THE Clerk of the Dáil’s report into the voting issue which Clare Fianna Fáil TD, Timmy Dooley, was embroiled in last Thursday, made no findings against any of the three TD’s primarily singled out. They were Deputy Dooley and his party colleagues, Niall Collins and Lisa Chambers.

The Clerk heard input from Deputy Dooley in relation to his role, which resulted in Deputy Collins voting on his behalf several times, while the Clare TD was not present in the Dáil chamber.

While no findings were made, the matter is unlikely to end there.

“It is now for the Committee on Members Interests to examine the matter, and to recommend any appropriate sanction any recommendation from that committee will be to this House. And it will be this House, not any one committee, which will decide the imposition of sanctions if deemed appropriate,” Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said.