Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I join with my colleagues in wishing the Ceann Comhairle and the staff of the House a happy Christmas. I extend our appreciation to all categories of staff for their diligent efforts throughout the year.

Like Deputy Kenny, I have wondered and indeed, had correspondence with the Ceann Comhairle's office on a number of occasions in the past about the spoken word, as uttered in here and what actually appears in the Official Report. I have a very lengthy final definitive statement over the name of his predecessor, pointing out that the Official Report is only that — a report. It is not a verbatim record of what transpires in here. It is not a Hansard. From the point of view of archivists and future historians that is a great pity. Sometimes a form of linguistics is tried out in this House that the mother of all parliaments has never experienced. It is a pity that is not recorded as spoken.

I want to join in the seasonal good wishes to the Taoiseach. I was reading his latest interview in a magazine recently and I was very hurt when he suggested that I had, apparently, made some personal remarks about him. I never recall making any personal remarks about the Taoiseach. If he thinks I did I want to withdraw them. I sympathise with him when he says he has not got any newspaper group in the country supporting him. I understand that position and I hope that this, too, continues to be the case in the new year. Happy Christmas to everyone.

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