Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Deputy Coghlan is the Tánaiste and she is Minister with line responsibility for job creation, although there is not much evidence of it. The potential for these jobs has been in existence for the best part of a year. Will they be provided?

With regard to the motion of confidence in the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, tabled yesterday by the Taoiseach and passed by the House, on the Order of Business yesterday I raised with the Taoiseach his plans for that motion.

When he informed Deputies that he was minded to bring the motion before the House yesterday, I asked him whether it was a Government motion and I understood from his reply that it was. We have been told since then by a number of representatives of the Green Party that they were somewhat bounced into the motion yesterday. When the Taoiseach informed the House on yesterday's Order of Business that a motion of confidence in the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, would be moved, had the Government made a decision to move such a motion? Was the motion that the Taoiseach moved yesterday a Government motion and can the Tánaiste inform the House when the Government made the decision to move it? If it was a Government motion, how has it transpired that Deputy Gogarty indicated this morning that individual Members of the Green Party were unhappy with it?

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