Mr. Noel Curran:

Before Senator Mooney speaks, I wish to clarify a matter arising from a comment made by Deputy Michael Moynihan. I did not say "The Frontline" programme did not have an impact. What I said was that given the range of other media commentary and appearances over the two days in question, I do not know how anyone can make the judgment that the direct quotations which were attributed to a senior editorial figure in RTE effectively decided the outcome, regardless of whether that was what he intended.

To address Senator Mooney's questions, he first asked about the late timing of the debate. The debate was originally scheduled for 17 October but the date was changed to 24 October because so many debates were taking place. This issue crops up when one is negotiating debates. All Government parties traditionally want debates to be held later, certainly where they involve party leaders. The reason becomes clear when one considers what happened in the debate between Mitt Romney and President Obama that took place early in the presidential campaign. The contender did better than the incumbent in that debate and his campaign gained momentum. All such dates must be agreed but, as I stated, it is traditional that Government parties will seek to have debates held later in a campaign. As a result of what occurred, we will have to examine when we hold debates, particularly complicated ones. There were other reasons at work as there were so many debates during the election in question. Timing is an issue we will have to consider, particularly in respect of complicated debates.