Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Deputy Kehoe has a point — they will learn what the Whip is like then, all right.

Can the Taoiseach provide figures for the constituency office staffs of the Ministers of State in his Department? How many staff are employed in these offices? Is it intended that the Ministers of State will retain these staff during the course of a general election? There seems to be a serious disadvantaging of the majority of Deputies given that it is apparently the rule that Ministers may, under the guise of promoting themselves as Ministers, maintain facilities in the House that are not available to the rest of us. Does the Taoiseach intend to promulgate regulations in terms of advertising for Ministers?

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