Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

While the Taoiseach appreciates the support of three Independent Deputies, is he saying the agreements worked out with them do not mean that anything extra will be delivered to their constituencies that would not normally have happened because of the programme for Government? Will he confirm that is what he means by saying that all the things they have discussed are issues already contained in the programme for Government that are relevant to their constituencies? If what the Taoiseach is saying is true, these agreements are worthless in that they would occur in any event. This is despite the fact that a Deputy might say he has acquired major expenditure for his constituency, while another says the implications of the agreement he worked out were both national and international.

I wish to pose a further question concerning another Independent Deputy who happens to be from my constituency. For some peculiar reason, the weekend before a major court case, the Taoiseach chose to make an extraordinary comment that the Deputy in question — good luck to her — might well be in a position to be appointed as a Minister of State in the lifetime of his Administration. I accept it is for the Taoiseach to make that comment, but does he not consider that sent out a signal to the national broadcaster, going into a court case the following weekend, that it should take cognisance of what the Taoiseach said about a person who is an Independent Member of the House? Does the Taoiseach not see the implication of that?

On 15 June, Deputy Flynn said:

I am absolutely delighted with what I have secured for Mayo. Bertie Ahern has verbally agreed a very generous package for the county and I will be supporting him for the vote for Taoiseach this afternoon. I do not have a signed agreement. I did not seek one. I fully accept the word of the Taoiseach. I do not need to be waving about a piece of paper.

On 26 June, the Taoiseach said——

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