FG's Ward appointed chair of influential EU Affairs committee
Fine Gael deputy for Dún Laoghaire Barry Ward is to become chair of the influential Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs.
Two weeks ago, the 28 Oireachtas committees were belatedly allocated to political parties and groups, after the process was stalled for over four months over disagreements triggered by the Dáil speaking row.
The Oireachtas committees, which are essential to both the formulation and the passing of legislation, are taking shape, but it could be weeks before they are fully up and running.
Sinn Féin will chair the Finance, Justice Home Affairs and Migration, Public Accounts, Defence and National Security, Disability Matters, Petitions, and Fisheries committees.
Labour will get to appoint the chairperson of the Traveller Community committee as well as the Oireachtas Committee on Media and Arts.
The Social Democrats, who became eligible for a second chairing role after declaring that its suspended deputy Eoin Hayes remained a party TD, will chair the Health and the Drug Use committees.
He was indefinitely suspended by the party in December after contradictory statements about when he had sold shares in a company that supplies artificial intelligence tools to the Israeli military.
Social Democrats Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon will chair the Oireachtas Committee on Drug Use, while his party colleague, Cork South Central TD Pádraig Rice, will chair the Oireachtas Committee on Health.
The Independent Technical Group will chair the Committee on Budgetary Oversight while the Independents and Smaller Parties group will chair the Irish Language Committee.
The remaining 15 roles will go to Government TDs.
The Regional Independent TDs are not seeking a committee chairperson position.
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It ignores a working system in favour of political agendas," he added.
