Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Does the Taoiseach believe Ministers of State are an abused category of office holder in the House? Ministers now rarely turn up for Adjournment debates and even when private notice questions are tabled, we sometimes find the Minister with direct responsibility does not appear and a Minister of State is asked to appear in his or her stead. For example, last week when the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government was asked to come into the House to deal with the serious concerns of residents of Cobh and Ringaskiddy regarding pollution levels at the old Irish Steel site in Haulbowline, he was nowhere to be found and the Minister of State at his Department, Deputy Hoctor, had to come into the House at short notice. While it was not the fault of the Minister of State, the House did not receive the direct responses it needed. Ministers repeatedly hide behind their Ministers of State when questions are put to them, whether in the form of Adjournment debates or private notice questions.

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