O'Donoghue to step down over expenses

The ultimatum sent shockwaves through Leinster House despite months of controversy over Mr O’Donoghue’s spending of taxpayers’ money on top class flights, limousines and VIP airport lounges while on foreign trips.

It is believed to be the first time in history that a Ceann Comhairle has been forced to step down from the non-political and independent office.

A statement from Mr O’Donoghue’s office said: “The Ceann Comhairle has announced that he will resign his position next week when he will make a statement to the House.”

It is understood he will stand down on Tuesday.

But confusion remains as to whether he will remain on in the Dáil as a TD for his native Kerry and who will replace his position as the chairman of the Oireachtas.

There were also suggestions that if the Government were to fall over the weekend – ruling parties are locked in talks to save the coalition by Friday - that Mr O’Donoghue, because of his position, would be automatically re-elected for another term.

Mr Gilmore claimed last night he was forced into publicly throwing down the gauntlet after Taoiseach Brian Cowen dismissed his call for a meeting of all political party leaders to come to an agreement on how to deal with the expenses fall-out.

The Labour leader was said to be privately furious after Mr Cowen responded that the Oireachtas Commission – which is responsible for the running of the parliament, including expenses – was the appropriate place for the matter to be debated.

In an unsuccessful attempt to save his job, the embattled Ceann Comhairle promised on Monday night to make “detailed proposals” to the commission which would address everybody’s concerns.

But Mr Gilmore said the private “in-house committee” was not good enough to deal with a matter of such huge public interest.

“The bigger issue here is about public confidence in politics, public confidence in democracy and in our parliamentary institutions,” he said.

“There a sense out there that this is some kind of a club here and it has its own rules, own procedures and doesn’t seem to be connected with the lives of people, particularly at the moment where they are suffering so badly.”

In the Dáil, Mr Gilmore said the Ceann Comhairle’s expenses revealed an unacceptable pattern of extravagance.

He asked the Taoiseach if his Government had confidence in Mr O’Donoghue.

After the Taoiseach insisted the Oireachtas Commission deal with the controversy, the Labour leader turned directly to the speaker and said he was left with no other option but to call for his resignation or removal.

In a tense moment, a stunned Dáil looked on as Mr O’Donoghue sat impassively, with his hands clasped, while he was told his position was considered no longer tenable by at least two political parties.

The exchange prompted a wave of frenetic party meetings and briefings around Leinster House, with senior politicians repeatedly claiming the Oireachtas was in “uncharted waters” when asked what would happen next.

Fine Gael, the senior Opposition party, later came out backing the calls for Mr O’Donoghue’s resignation, while Sinn Féin was earlier the first party to demand the Ceann Comhairle step down.

Confirming the Labour Party had agreed to lay down a motion of no confidence in the event of him not resigning, Mr Gilmore revealed he had told Mr O’Donoghue beforehand that he would have to.

“This is something I found very difficult to do,” he said.

“It’s a sad day. I believe John O’Donoghue has done a very good job and a very fair job as Ceann Comhairle and I wish it had been possible to do it differently than the way I had to do it.”

Records placed in the Dáil library on Friday – the day of the Lisbon Treaty vote and 16 days after the Ceann Comhairle promised to reveal them as soon as possible – showed he had claimed more than €200,000 in expenses, on top of his salary, over the past two years.