Irish coalition government survives no-confidence motion in parliament

Ireland’s coalition government comfortably won a parliamentary vote of no confidence on Tuesday despite losing its formal majority last week.

Opposition party Sinn Fein tabled the motion after coalition deputy Joe McHugh last week withdrew his commitment to vote in line with government policy following a dispute over compensation for owners of defective homes in his constituency.

As a result, the centre-right governing coalition of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party, was left in direct control of just 79 seats in the 160-seat lower house.

However, some lawmakers that had left the government over the last two years and several sympathetic independent deputies voted with the government, which won the vote by 85 to 66.