Many outstanding questions for Fianna Fáil on Dooley voting debacle – Heydon

Timmy Dooley, Niall Collins and Fianna Fáil need to bring immediate clarity to what occurred during Dáil votes last week, the Fine Gael party chairman has said.

Chair of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party, Deputy Martin Heydon, said: “I trust Deputy Dooley is in no doubt of the seriousness of this matter.

“There can be no question of impropriety, fraudulent voting or collusion when it comes to Dáil votes. This needs to be explained in full immediately and Fianna Fáil have not done so today.

“The right to vote in our parliament is a privilege and is central to our democracy.

“There are several points he has been vague and ambiguous on and I am asking for an explanation from him and Fianna Fáil.

1. When did Deputy Dooley realize Deputy Collins voted for him?
2. When did Deputy Dooley last speak to Deputy Collins?
3. Why did Deputy Dooley and Deputy Collins not give this explanation to journalists when queried about it last night?
4. Did the phone call last for the duration of the voting block?
5. If not, why did Deputy Dooley not return to the Chamber for the votes?
6. How often does Deputy Collins vote for TDs who are not present in the Chamber?
7. How often does Deputy Dooley allow other TDs to vote for him?
8. Has Deputy Dooley asked other TDs to vote for him in marginal votes?
9. Does Deputy Dooley need to correct the record for other votes in the past?
10. Have Deputy Dooley and Deputy Collins been reprimanded for this kind of behaviour before?
11. On the Dáil video, there is clear communication between Deputy Dooley and Deputy Collins before Deputy Dooley walked out of the chamber. What was said between the two FF frontbench TDs?
12. Does Micheál Martin accept Deputy Dooley’s explanation? When was Micheál Martin informed?

Deputy Heydon concluded: “Let me be unequivocal, Deputy Collins, Deputy Dooley and Fianna Fáil need to provide absolute clarity on this very serious matter.”