Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I did not say that it was a perverse report, I said that the opinion on the very narrow area that related to Deputy Howlin and former Deputy Jim Higgins was perverse and I explained why it was a misunderstanding of the role of the Deputies to think that they have a chain of investigators who they can send out to uncover something which took six years to do with all the resources of the State behind it.

In this inadequate provision of time, will the Minister apologise to the victims of this Garda corruption in Donegal before he leaves the House? Will he also apologise to Deputy Howlin and former Deputy Jim Higgins, who cannot be here, for the way he misrepresented their role in this? To think that after eight reports what the Minister has singled out is the two Deputies who caused the inquiry.

What did the Minister cause? He caused a new Deputy wet behind the ears to come into the House and read out a slurry pit of allegations against two Deputies on an issue about which, I suggest, he knows little. The Minister caused that script to be produced for him. He must think we came down in the last shower.

The Minister said he read eight reports. He did not read eight pages because that is plain. When I told him today about the Garda sergeant who came to me with problems, he asked me why I did not tell him to go to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.

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