Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 28 Sep 2006

Vol. 624 No. 2

Business of Dáil: Motion.

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Mr. Kitt)

I move:

That, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, on Tuesday, 3 October 2006, statements on disclosures relating to the Mahon tribunal shall be taken for 35 minutes on the conclusion of oral questions to members of the Government and the ordinary routine of business shall resume immediately thereafter with Leaders' Questions and the Order of Business. The following arrangements shall apply in relation to the statements: the statement of the Taoiseach and of the spokespersons for the Fine Gael Party, the Labour Party, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and Deputy Joe Higgins shall not exceed five minutes in each case, and the Taoiseach shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes.

Mr. Bruton

The point of the discussion this morning was that an opportunity should be provided to ensure accountability, which would involve questions and answers. There are issues that must be answered directly by way of responses to supplementary questions. Therefore, a motion that did not make provision for Members of the House to ask the Taoiseach direct questions and get a reply to them is not acceptable.

Mr. Kitt

There are other opportunities open to Members to do that.

An Ceann Comhairle

I will hear from Deputies Stagg and Boyle and then I will call the Minister of State.

Mr. Stagg

The Opposition Whips put forward a proposal at the Whips' meeting today to have a one hour debate with four speaking slots of 15 minutes and an hour provided for questions and answers in accordance with normal practice in the House on such issues.

Mr. O’Dea

It was not normal when the Deputy's party was on this side of the House.

Mr. Stagg

What has been offered is totally inadequate from the point of view of the offer that was made here of ensuring accountability and providing an opportunity for every Member of the House, as the Tánaiste said, to be involved in that accountability. A question and answer session is not provided for in this motion. It provides for only five minute speaking slots and then we are expected to sit down and forget about this. It is simply not acceptable.

Mr. Boyle

When I, on behalf of my party, made a formal request to the Government Chief Whip on Monday for such a debate to take place, it was on the basis that direct questions could be asked and direct answers given. I expressed reservations that Leaders' Questions and the Order of Business were not suitable mechanisms for such questions and answers to take place. Yesterday's performance showed that to be true, as did today's Order of Business when the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform refused to answer questions on this matter. What is being offered to us now is not even half a horse. This matter demands a longer debate and an opportunity for all in this House to ask the Taoiseach direct questions and for the Taoiseach, for once since this controversy has arisen, to give direct answers.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

I appeal to the Chief Whip to accede to the request of the Opposition speakers. There is inadequate time for dealing with this matter and I believe the Taoiseach would welcome a question and answer session, in the first instance, to properly respond to the questions that clearly exist in the public domain and in this Chamber. We should address this matter fully and the Minister of State should accede to the additional proposal.

Mr. Kitt

A meeting of the Whips took place and we discussed this matter at some length. As Members are aware, there are opportunities for those who can speak on Leaders' Questions to raise any question they wish under that procedure. Members also have the option to raise this matter by way of Private Members' business. Therefore, the proposal I put forward is the most reasonable one in these circumstances.

Question put: "That the proposal for dealing with the arrangements for next Tuesday's sitting be agreed to."

The Dáil divided: Tá, 64; Níl, 49.

Tá

• Ahern, Michael.
• Andrews, Barry.
• Ardagh, Seán.
• Brady, Johnny.
• Brady, Martin.
• Brennan, Seamus.
• Callanan, Joe.
• Carey, Pat.
• Cassidy, Donie.
• Cooper-Flynn, Beverley.
• Coughlan, Mary.
• Cowen, Brian.
• Cregan, John.
• Cullen, Martin.
• Curran, John.
• Davern, Noel.
• de Valera, Síle.
• Dempsey, Noel.
• Dempsey, Tony.
• Dennehy, John.
• Fahey, Frank.
• Finneran, Michael.
• Fitzpatrick, Dermot.
• Fleming, Seán.
• Fox, Mildred.
• Gallagher, Pat The Cope.
• Glennon, Jim.
• Grealish, Noel.
• Hanafin, Mary.
• Harney, Mary.
• Haughey, Seán.
• Hoctor, Máire.
• Jacob, Joe.
• Keaveney, Cecilia.
• Kelleher, Billy.
• Kelly, Peter.
• Killeen, Tony.
• Kirk, Seamus.
• Kitt, Tom.
• Lenihan, Brian.
• Lenihan, Conor.
• McEllistrim, Thomas.
• Moloney, John.
• Moynihan, Donal.
• Mulcahy, Michael.
• Nolan, M. J.
• Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
• O’Connor, Charlie.
• O’Dea, Willie.
• O’Donnell, Liz.
• O’Donoghue, John.
• O’Donovan, Denis.
• O’Flynn, Noel.
• O’Keeffe, Batt.
• O’Malley, Fiona.
• O’Malley, Tim.
• Power, Peter.
• Power, Seán.
• Roche, Dick.
• Sexton, Mae.
• Smith, Michael.
• Wallace, Dan.
• Walsh, Joe.
• Wilkinson, Ollie.

Níl

• Allen, Bernard.
• Boyle, Dan.
• Broughan, Thomas P.
• Bruton, Richard.
• Burton, Joan.
• Connaughton, Paul.
• Connolly, Paudge.
• Costello, Joe.
• Cowley, Jerry.
• Cuffe, Ciarán.
• Deasy, John.
• Deenihan, Jimmy.
• Durkan, Bernard J.
• English, Damien.
• Gilmore, Eamon.
• Gogarty, Paul.
• Gormley, John.
• Gregory, Tony.
• Healy, Seamus.
• Higgins, Joe.
• Higgins, Michael D.
• Howlin, Brendan.
• Kehoe, Paul.
• Lynch, Kathleen.
• McCormack, Pádraic.
• McGinley, Dinny.
• McGrath, Finian.
• McGrath, Paul.
• McHugh, Paddy.
• McManus, Liz.
• Mitchell, Olivia.
• Murphy, Catherine.
• Murphy, Gerard.
• Neville, Dan.
• Noonan, Michael.
• Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
• Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
• O’Dowd, Fergus.
• O’Keeffe, Jim.
• O’Shea, Brian.
• O’Sullivan, Jan.
• Pattison, Seamus.
• Ring, Michael.
• Ryan, Eamon.
• Ryan, Seán.
• Shortall, Róisín.
• Stagg, Emmet.
• Timmins, Billy.
• Twomey, Liam.

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Kitt and Kelleher; Níl, Deputies Kehoe and Stagg.

Question declared carried.