I understand the Taoiseach will now make an announcement.
Termination of Ministerial Appointment: Announcement by Taoiseach.
I wish to announce for the information of the Dáil that last night the President, on my advice, terminated the appointment as a member of the Government of Deputy Brian Lenihan. I have assigned the Department of Defence to myself.
Could I ask if the Taoiseach intends to make any provision today to make a personal statement to the House? It would seem that, having sacked the Tánaiste yesterday——
Sorry, Deputy Dukes.
——for misdeeds of which he was accused and of which he is at least equally guilty, the Taoiseach should have the decency to come in here and resign.
Please, Deputy Dukes.
(Interruptions.)
This is uncalled for as it is traditional that a statement of this kind is made and that there can be no debate or statements from any other persons in the House.
There are very few precedents for statements of this kind.
This is not in order.
The Taoiseach should do the honourable thing and leave.
Please, Deputy Dukes. Deputy Dukes knows the procedure in this House.
It was my regrettable duty to terminate the appointment of the Tánaiste.
The Taoiseach sacked him for deeds he did himself.
Deputy Dukes politically assassinated him.
The Taoiseach sacked him for things he organised himself.
Order of Business.
The Taoiseach chopped off the head of a friend to save his own skin. Every time Fianna Fáil get into bother, somebody else gets sacked.
The Taoiseach will now have access to the Department of Defence files. I wonder will any file be changed in relation to events that took place in 1982.
Please, Deputy Shatter, you must not persist in disorder.
Fortunately I cannot hear Deputy Shatter.
If the Ceann Comhairle did not always talk over me, the Taoiseach would hear me.