Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The Green Party in Government, and members of that party have stated publicly there should be a reduction in the number of Ministers of State. Will they have the courage to vote according to their so-called beliefs tomorrow night or are they playing the cynical political game that was played in this House for so many years by the Progressive Democrats? They have one foot in Government and the other out of Government. They say the populist thing while always doing what they believe is in the interests of their own party and the Government of which they are a member. The Green Party members will show tomorrow night that they have no courage. Tomorrow night the Greens will happily go along and vote to maintain the 20 Ministers of State we have currently. Let no Government Minister or Minister of State come into this House and lecture the public about the need for cost savings or lecture Members about the need for this House to deal with its business in a more cost-efficient way in circumstances where they vote to maintain 20 Ministers of State, at least eight of whose functions are completely and totally irrelevant——

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