Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

A fundamental facility for those elected to this House is the receipt of answers to parliamentary questions. These answers are not being made available at present because of an industrial dispute. However, I understand that in some, if not all, cases, Ministers are able to get information supplied to them in the course of their duty. Is the situation to be one whereby all parliamentary questions are to be regarded as requests from Ministers to their line staff in Departments?

As chairman of the Dáil, the Ceann Comhairle should strive to bring about a situation where Deputies can get answers to parliamentary questions. On many occasions in the past we were told this is the most fundamental, democratic weapon available to an elected representative in the Dáil. That facility is not being made available now and valuable parliamentary political information is being denied Deputies on all sides of the House, although, in evidence given last week, it appears that some Deputies are more equal than others.

Has there been any consultation on this, to the effect that, at very least, information genuinely and validly sought by Deputies will be made available to them, or must all parliamentary questions be translated into requests from each Minister to his or her Department that the information sought be supplied? This is a problem. I am aware of the difficulties trades unions are having in respect of the Croke Park agreement but this is a cause of some angst among Deputies on all sides of the House.

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