Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Will the Taoiseach say what the poor people of Ireland did to deserve Deputy Brennan as Minister for Social and Family Affairs? He does not want the job. Clearly he has no interest in it. He got it by accident and poor people who are marginalised and unemployed are now going to have as their advocate and champion at the Cabinet table a man who would prefer to be doing anything else. Did Deputy Brennan threaten to resign his seat, as is reported, when he learned that Deputy Kitt was to be in the Cabinet and that he was to be dropped? Were representations made to retain him and if so, by whom, and how is it that he ended up in the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Will the Taoiseach say if he got a letter of resignation from the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy McDaid? Deputy McDaid said he was sacked. If he was sacked it would require a Government decision, which meant the Taoiseach came to the House with 18 rather than 17 junior Ministers if Deputy McDaid had not been removed by Government decision. I do not want to start any shockwaves in sub-Saharan Africa at the prospect of my constituency colleague, Deputy Conor Lenihan, being deprived of his office, but is he appointed properly? Will the Taoiseach say how he reconciles all of this with Inchydoney? At Inchydoney the message was that the social inclusion agenda was at the top of Fianna Fáil priorities. How is it now that we have ended up with Deputy Brennan in the Department of Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Harney in the Department of Health and Children——

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