The Greens and FF ensure that next week in the Dáil will be a complete sham ... this is unprecedented and frankly disgraceful

The original schedule for Dáil business next week had proposed a week's recess following Bank Holiday Monday, but the new Chief Whip, John Curran, announced that the House would sit on Wednesday and Thursday. However, today it emerged that there will be none of the usual opportunities for the Opposition to hold the Government to account, such as the Order of Business and Leaders' Questions, nor will there be any votes.

The Green Ministers and TD's supported this.

This led to genuine anger from the opposition and ordinary people.

It is unprecedented for a government in Irish history to use its parliamentary majority to ensure that for a parliamentary week all the means the opposition has to raise issued, challenge issues, put motions or discuss things are prohibited. No Irish government has ever done that in ninety years of Dáil Éireann. The government used its vote to effectively ban any Order of Business, Leaders Questions, questions to ministers, parliamentary business, private members business, or to use any or the procedural devices under standing orders that enable TD's to raise "issues of national concern". The government did it to ensure that the opposition couldn't challenge the government when two important reports on banking come out next week.

This is unprecedented and totally and utterly unheard of. No Irish government has ever done anything like this before. Occasionally one day may be structured without the normal procedures available, but to decide that all sittings in one week should be without any means for the opposition to raise issues is frankly disgraceful.

The anger that was in the Dáil today was very very real. The opposition were stunned that the government would use its majority to effectively strip the opposition of their parliamentary rights by making parts of the Standing Orders non-applicable next week. Next week in the Dáil will be a complete sham. The government is already abusing guillotine motions to force things through without proper scrutiny. But this behaviour takes the biscuit.