A new Dáil term - expect things to get fractious

To paraphrase what former Fianna Fáil minister Conor Lenihan famously said about his party’s 2016 election resurgence – they’re baa-aack!And with TDs returning en masse to Leinster House, the Inside Politics newsletter is also back in business every morning the Dáil is meeting. Okay, yes, there was a teaser with Paul Colgan’s newsletter on Monday looking at Donald Trump’s visit at the weekend, with the US president’s supportive messages for – Irish – republicans and whiskey.But full service with a round-up of the big political developments and stories, what to expect during the day in Leinster House, and occasional early-morning hot takes fuelled by not enough coffee is resuming.READ MOREAside from a brief visit to the Dáil chamber by TDs at the end of August to defer fuel price increases, it was a long summer of fairly limited political action.Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union has been motoring along, with meetings resuming after a break in August. Updates on progress in efforts to reach a deal on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2027-2034, though important, will not set too many hearts racing, even among the most dedicated political obsessives. Meanwhile, the pre-Dáil think-ins have been happening.The Social Democrats had theirs yesterday – with controversy-struck TD Eoin Hayes missing the press conference – and the rest took place over the last week and a half.But to quote Political Editor Pat Leahy in this analysis piece on the think-ins from the weekend, “with no election on the horizon, there is a sense of uneasy stability about Irish politics right now. It seems kind of static”. But there will be plenty going on over the coming months.The budget is mere weeks away. Income tax cuts and help with childcare and the costs faced by people with disabilities are expected, but perhaps not much else is. How will the Government respond if fuel costs remain high come budget day?As Leahy sets out in his look-ahead to the new Dáil term, the coming weeks will be intense and are likely to be fractious within Government, as Ministers wrestle with the Department of Public Expenditure and its Minister, Jack Chambers, over their allocations for next year. Tackling the housing crisis may be the Government’s top priority but getting homes built in a timely pace remains a huge challenge. As Eoin Burke Kennedy reports in our lead today, the Central Bank says building a home in Ireland now takes twice as long as it did a decade ago – four years instead of two – because of the State’s dysfunctional planning system. Dozens of European leaders will descend on Dublin in November for EU and European Political Community meetings. After the EU presidency is over, will there be renewed rumblings about Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s leadership of Fianna Fáil?We will be keeping tabs on all of that and more. Best ReadsSinn Féin’s push to pressurise the British government into an early referendum on Irish unity has been dismissed as “ráiméis” (nonsense) by Micheál Martin, who also said the move could set unity back. Harry McGee reports from the Ploughing Championships. On the Opinion pages, political commentator and former Ulster Unionist Party communications director Alex Kane writes that Donald Trump’s comments on unity crossed a line and unionists feel let down. The dispute between Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and lawyers over the new legal aid system is still going on. We detail how barristers have urged him to engage further, while he has told solicitors he will not be appointing a mediator. Martin Wall reports that Uisce Éireann, Fáilte Ireland and IDA Ireland are among the State agencies and bodies that will lose out on funding due to a Government levy aimed at offsetting increased spending in the Department of Education. Across the Irish Sea, Mark Paul writes that Nigel Farage’s Reform is awash with crypto cash and the spending spree has just begun. Playbook The Cabinet is meeting this morning. Our tee-up story by Jack Horgan-Jones and Martin Wall outlines how MetroLink could cost up to €17.5 billion to deliver under a cost estimate to be considered by the Government today.President Catherine Connolly is beginning a four-day visit to Scotland. Dáil proceedings resume with Leaders’ Questions. Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and one of the members of the Independent Technical Group will have an opportunity to quiz the Taoiseach at noon.Government business in the afternoon (from 3:58pm) is a second stage debate on the An Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026.Sinn Féin is tabling a motion on neutrality and the triple lock and it will be debated from 7.32pm. The party is opposed to Government proposals to scrap the triple lock on deploying Irish soldiers overseas to get rid of the need for United Nations approval for missions.There is an opportunity for TDs to raise topical issues from 9.32pm. Seanad Éireann does not resume until Tuesday, September 22nd, but Oireachtas committees are open for business again. The Justice Committee was actually back yesterday to hear from Garda representative organisations and senior gardaí will be before the Committee on Justice from 3pm as it continues to examine the issue of Garda pursuits. Hugh Dooley has a report on yesterday’s proceedings here, including how just six frontline gardaí are likely to get pursuit training by the end of this year.Today the Committee on Health will conduct detailed scrutiny of the Health (Abolition of the Three Day Wait Rule) Amendment Bill 2026 put forward by Sinn Féin earlier this year to get rid of the waiting time for women seeking abortions. The committee will hear from representatives of the Irish College of General Practitioners from 9.30am.The National Transport Authority can probably expect some tough questioning before the Transport Committee on the recent announcement of impending public transport fare increases. The meeting starts at 10am.At 12.30pm the Committee on Education will look at education and training requirements for teachers regarding inclusive education. The Committee on European Affairs is considering EU development aid and policy from 3.30pm.Representatives of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Central Bank will be at the Committee on Budgetary Oversight from 6.30pm for pre-Budget 2027 engagement.