The Labour Party says it will not attend this week's planned Dáil sitting - saying TDs should 'set an example' by staying at home for now due to the COVID-19 crisis.
A reduced number of TDs are due to reconvene on Thursday for a three-hour sitting to hear statements on health and social protection, with no legislation scheduled to be considered.
However, Labour believes TDs should not be gathering at all amid the significant coronavirus restrictions in place and ongoing closure of non-essential businesses.
Labour says some of its TDs will lay statements before the House but refuse to attend in person.
In a statement, the party said: "The Labour Parliamentary Party has agreed that our TDs would not attend the sitting of the Dáil for statements on Thursday as it is non-essential business and not legislation that was being proposed.
"They will instead support the national effort to stay at home, and not place an unnecessary burden on the Oireachtas staff, and staff of those departments who are working heroically to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak and it’s social and economic impact."
Sinn Féin, meanwhile, has said it is "absolutely vital" that the Dáil meets to provide political accountability to the response to the coronavirus crisis.
The party's deputy Dáil leader Pearse Doherty yesterday said that it would be "incomprehensible that political accountability and scrutiny would take a back seat at this time".
He said: "Understandably, we will need to work within the parameters of public health restrictions that are required to protect both TDs and the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
"[However] there is a lot of work to do and it is imperative that the democratic process - at a time of national emergency - is upheld."
