Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I, too, congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on his first day in office and I assure him that we humble backbenchers will do our best to make it as interesting as possible for him during his sojourn in the Chair.

Will the Ceann Comhairle, and perhaps through him, the Taoiseach, address a very serious issue that has developed over recent years, namely, that, on an increasingly prevalent basis, Ministers refuse to answer questions on the basis that they are not accountable to the House? I ask the Ceann Comhairle to bear with me for 30 seconds. The Departments to which this applies most particularly are the Department of Health and Children-----

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