Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

There is a motion of no confidence in the Taoiseach before the House. The normal practice when a motion of no confidence, in the Taoiseach or the Government, is tabled is that there is a counter motion of confidence from the Government. Motions of confidence or no confidence have always taken precedence over all other business being transacted in the House. I want to establish from the Tánaiste, first, when we are going to see the Government's counter motion, which we can expect? Second, I want to know if, in line with precedent, the taking of a motion of confidence will take precedence over the conduct of all other business.

We are in the unusual situation that the Government decided last week to order business for the House this week so that the House would not be in a position, as the Government thought, to discuss the damning reports on the banking crisis which it had in its possession at the time it moved its motion last week. The reports on the banking crisis were delivered to the Government on 31 May. The Government came in here last Thursday and put a motion before the House to sanitise the business for this week so that the representatives of the people could not discuss here in the Dáil the contents of the reports-----

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