Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I support the request made by Deputy Kenny for a debate on Northern Ireland. There should be a debate. Regardless of the outcome of the talks under way in Belfast, which I hope sincerely are successful, we should have the debate in the House.

With regard to the banking issue, will the Tánaiste clarify a few points on the toothless secret investigation the Government is offering as an excuse for an inquiry? Will the Government be making a proposal to the House on this? It proposed an amendment to the Labour Party motion last week and had it accepted. It set out its alternative in a very general, vague way. Will the Government be bringing specific proposals to the House with regard to the establishment of an inquiry? If so, when? Will it bring its proposal to have an investigator or expert before the House for approval? Will the terms of reference of any investigation be brought to the House for its approval? Has the Government made any decision in respect of any aspect of the investigation it is offering as a replacement for a proper inquiry? We debated this last week and the Government professed itself to be very anxious to get on with it.

Has the Government made a decision yet on the proposal by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to have a directly elected mayor of Dublin and to have the election conducted this year? Is it possible to have an election for this position this summer considering that no legislation has yet been presented? Nobody, apart from the Minister, Deputy Gormley, knows what the office will entail and how it will relate to the rest of the local government system in Dublin.

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