Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Part of being democrats, of course, is recognising the roles assigned to different organs of Government and to Parliament. A specific and unique power that sits only with Government is the ability to grant money messages on clear criteria. A Government deciding to issue or not to issue a money message is doing so in a way that reflects the status we have in the Constitution and to do so it not anti-democratic. It is to fulfil a duty we have. As was said a moment ago, and I will repeat it again, in respect of the specific item of legislation the Deputy raised with me, which predates my time in this Department, I will come back to him on that next week. In respect of what the Chair has said, if there are a number of items of legislation, beyond what Deputy Doherty has said, the committee feels are not being progressed in the way they should be, I will respond to each of them if the committee identifies them to me.