Was Fianna Fáil leadership aware of legal advice prior to vote on Sinn Féin rent bill? – O’Donovan

Fianna Fáil’s leadership must set out when exactly it knew that its own legal advice found Sinn Féin’s rent freeze bill was unconstitutional, a Fine Gael Minister has said.

Limerick Fine Gael candidate and Minister Patrick O’Donovan TD said today’s developments raise “grave questions” about the manner in which the Fianna Fáil party behaved during a Dáil vote last month.

Commenting this evening, Minister O’Donovan said: “Earlier, it emerged Fianna Fáil’s own legal advice found Sinn Féin’s bill proposing a national rent freeze was unconstitutional.

“It beggars belief the Fianna Fáil leadership, including Micheál Martin and Jim O’Callaghan, were not aware of the position of their own legal team prior to the vote on the Sinn Féin bill on December 12 last.

“If it was the case the Fianna Fáil party backed the bill, despite knowing the details of the legal advice, then Deputy Martin has grave questions to answer.”

Fianna Fáil backed a Sinn Féin bill on rent freezes but have now completely flip-flopped on the issue.

Minister O’Donovan continued: “This election is about who the public can trust to lead this country through the early years of a new decade.

“Fianna Fáil has previously destroyed all trust with the electorate and they are now trying to convince voters that they have all of a sudden undergone some form of spiritual rebirth.

“Any party that goes into the Dáil and whips its TDs to back a Sinn Féin bill despite knowing it is unconstitutional has committed a most serious act of deception.

“Now is time for Micheál Martin and Jim O’Callaghan to come out and publicly confirm the timeline behind commissioning and receiving this legal advice,” Minister O’Donovan said.