Seanad nominations for inside candidates closed yesterday with a number of failed election candidates given a second chance at public office by their parties.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are set to add numbers to the Seanad election race from candidates who lost their Dáil seats.

Micheál Martin has attacked the “lop-sided” economic development of Ireland towards Dublin and the east coast.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that comments by Fine Gael election candidate Catherine Noone about him were “ignorant”, but it was not proportionate for her to lose her job.

The Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin went toe to toe last night in the first of two head-to-head debates ahead of the February 8 general election.

The departure of Michael Harty, who was elected an Independent TD in 2016 after running a successful ‘No Doctor, No Village’ campaign, now makes Clare an interesting one to watch.

It would be a little unfair to describe Micheál Martin’s disposition as cocky at Fianna Fáil’s campaign launch event. But he certainly seemed composed. Confident even.

Fianna Fáil’s first electoral event of the campaign showed a relaxed Mr Martin in composed form ahead of the three-week sprint.

Fine Gael must facilitate a Fianna Fáil led Government from Opposition should Micheál Martin's party win more seats, Dara Calleary has said.

Questions around Dara Murphy prompted a heated spat between the two leaders, with Mr Varadkar calling on Mr Martin to deal with his TDs involved in the 'Vote-Gate' controversy.

The complaint, lodged to the Oireachtas Committee on Members' Interests in the name of Louth TD Fergus O'Dowd, has been lodged following weekend media reports

It has emerged that Ms Chambers, who was cleared in an initial voting controversy, also voted on behalf of her party colleague Timmy Dooley in the Dáil in January.

Micheal Martin will not reinstate two TDs he removed from the Fianna Fáil front bench after the vote-gate controversy.

Micheál Martin has criticised the Taoiseach over his handling of the case involving Dara Murphy and his Dáil attendance record.

Lisa Chambers could now receive a caution after the decision by the Committee on Members Interests - but only after the move is itself approved by the Dáil.

The Dáil's ethics committee has found it can't investigate the attendance of former TD Dara Murphy.

Apple has told the Dáil's communications committee that it is no longer using contractors to listen to Siri recordings taken from customer devices.

Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen has been cleared of any wrongdoing over 'votegate' while the case of three other TDs has yet to be decided.

A Government TD has recused herself from the investigation into voting irregularities in the Dáil after admitting she did the same thing.

The Committee on Members Interests will meet to discuss whether three Fianna Fáil TDs caught up in the Dail voting controversy should be reprimanded.

The Committee on Members Interests will get also legal advice about whether complaints about the TDs - who voted in the Dáil on behalf of colleagues - are genuine and admissible.

We’ve learned in the past few days that all sides have engaged in button pushing for colleagues during Dáil votes, says Alison O’Connor.

Demoted Fianna Fáil TDs Timmy Dooley and Niall Collins look set to remain stripped of their frontbench jobs after scathing criticism of their parts in the Dáil voting scandal.

The Dáil’s internal report into voting irregularities has been branded a “complete whitewash” by several Fine Gael ministers.

After a torrid week, the Fianna Fáil benches were noticeably downbeat.

Senior Fine Gael figures have launched stinging attacks on Fianna Fáil TDs who voted on behalf of their colleagues in the Dáil, deeming their actions “cavalier” and “arrogant”.

The speaker of the Dáil, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said the voting scandal of a week ago was a “political failure,” which eroded public confidence in politics.

The internal Dáil report into the voting irregularities included testimony from the two TDs at the heart of the scandal - Timmy Dooley and Niall Collins- and this is what they had to say.

Although it deserves to be treated as a serious issue, the recent voting saga in the Dáil is distracting from more important issues, writes Political Correspondent Elaine Loughlin.

Heather Humphreys confirmed today that she has received no briefings from the job development agencies here of any further large scale imminent job losses.

I don’t want to frighten or alarm you this week, but I have yet to receive a cent of my Basic Farm Payment or Disadvantaged Payment.

The problem for Timmy Dooley and Niall Collins is that they are denied the status of knaves because they have been certified as fools instead, writes Gerard Howlin

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have declared war on each other after both parties made a series of formal complaints alleging their general election opponents have repeatedly broken rules in the Dáil votes saga.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin had told his leading TDs that "discipline is important" in the wake of the Dáil voting scandal that has rocked the party.

Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty is the latest minister to be subject to scrutiny about voting in the Dáil.

Minister of state Damien English and Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen are the latest politicians to be dragged into the ‘phantom voting’ controversy.

As it was put to me yesterday - the Maria Bailey fiasco was such a Fine Gael type of scandal, while the 'Vote-gate' row is a classic Fianna Fáil one.