SF fears parties plotting to block takeover of PAC

CONCERN is growing within Sinn Féin that the traditional parties are conspiring to block its expected takeover of the Public Accounts Committee.

The party is poised to continue its march on the institutions of the State by securing the muchcoveted chairmanship of the PAC.

The committee is the politically sanctioned watchdog for State spending where, traditionally, the post of chairperson of the inquisitorial group goes to the lead opposition party.

Chairing the PAC offers the individual and their party the opportunity for media coverage higher than that secured by senior ministers.

The PAC is expected to be one of the first committees set up during the summer with the overwhelming majority of the rest of the remaining committees being set up in September and October.

It is expected that Sinn Féin will take the position of chair of the PAC for the lifetime of the next Dáil. Cavan-Monaghan TD Pauline Tully is the early favourite.

Being chairperson of the PAC, which is also the oldest Dáil committee, is one of the few coveted committee positions.

One FG source noted: ‘It offers a unique opportunity for reputationbuilding. Sinn Féin will love it – powers to seize papers, compellability, calling in mandarins, it’s as good as being in Government Buildings.’

As proof of the importance of the post, former holders include

Michael Noonan, John McGuinness and Jim Mitchell.

Despite their status as the largest political party, there is unease within Sinn Féin, informed by the defeat of David Cullinane for the coronavirus committee, that they may not secure the coveted post.

Commenting on Sinn Féin’s expectations, one senior FG source warned: ‘It would be a real test of Sinn Féin’s capacity to act responsibly. The PAC has a quasijudicial function. It is not the downtown branch office of An Phoblacht.’

They added: ‘The last time we had a high-profile Sinn Féin individual, Mary Lou, it did not exactly end well. Under Mary

Lou, the last we saw of that experiment was the Dáil being excoriated in the Four Courts.’