Mary O'Rourke (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak and I thank Deputies Durkan and Sherlock for providing me with this time. I have participated in four coalition Governments, and many others in this Chamber have done so as well. When a party goes into a coalition, it signs up to a programme for Government and it sticks with it because that is its signature on the document. I remember being with the Labour Party in Government and I worked well with Deputy Quinn when he was Minister. There is give and take when a party is in a coaltion, and there is no point in saying otherwise.

We have all been receiving e-mails from RISE, or Rural Ireland Says Enough. I am here today because I come from a part of Ireland which fishes, hunts and shoots. I came with a mandate from there and they want me to say today that they understand if we signed up to a document, but that they will not entertain - nor will I nor will Fianna Fáil - any further inroads into rural pursuits.

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