LEADER OF Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald has said this morning they the party will lodge a motion of no confidence in the government.
It comes after the government lost its majority in the Dáil on Wednesday night when Fine Gael's Joe McHugh votes against a bill to set the level of compensation for owners of home constructed using defective blocks. Many of the homes affected are located in Donegal, McHugh's own constituency.
"This Government has lost its majority," McDonald said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland. "It can certainly cobble together majorities for votes on a one-by-one basis but two years on we believe this Government has run out of road.
The Government now has 79 TDs, which is one short of what is required for a clear majority.
Today we lodge of motion of no confidence in government. This government has lost its parliamentary majority, failed to tackle the cost of living and housing crises. This government is out of touch and out of time. We need a government that puts workers and families first.
— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) July 8, 2022
Deputy McDonald said the party would lodge the motion around 9am, ahead of the 11am deadline, with the motion being tabled next week before the Dáil goes into recess.
Mrs McDonald said it was up to each individual member of the Dáil to reflect on the performance of this Government and the issues that had grown worse such as housing, the current inflationary spiral and the cost-of-living crisis.
Mrs McDonald criticised the manner in which the Government dealt with the Mica redress issue and rushed legislation through the Dáil. On the night of the vote, she said she heard somebody sob in the public gallery.
The Government had clearly lost touch, she said.
“These people need to go.”
