Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Law Society Gazette dealt with it recently and those of us on this side of the House are to believe that nobody in Government knew of this issue or anticipated the gravity of it. The Tánaiste presents it to us as if it were some kind of exculpatory assertion by her to say the Minister did not know. If the Minister did not know, he ought to have known. Charles Clarke did not know either and he is kicking his heels on the back benches now. The Minister ought to have known on a matter of this important gravity.

Can we have a clear statement from the Tánaiste about the convening of the Dáil next week? I thank her for the commitment to consult with the Opposition on this legislation but we need to know when we are meeting next week. We need to know if there is any clarity in Government concerning whether we are moving to shut this loophole or attempting to deal with the wider questions that are given rise to as a result of the Supreme Court decision. We need clarity on that. Are we moving to shut off the loophole or is the Government seeking to address issues and questions that I agree are complex and on which we need a public debate? In the interim, however, the parents of this country——

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