Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)

This time last year the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources attended a meeting of our committee and asked us to facilitate the postponement of the elections. We said we would go with that for one more year but if he showed up 12 months later with the same request, we would not facilitate him further. I am satisfied that we are correct. At some stage somebody must get the Government parties into gear to do what they should. They have a number of years to hold the elections.

With regard to the Minister, never has a poacher turned so quickly into a gamekeeper. When he was in Opposition, he was very excited about the elections being postponed time after time in his role as a poacher but he has been a gamekeeper since he went into government. How quickly the Green Party members have become immersed in the politics of Fianna Fáil.

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