Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

First, during our last Question Time, the Taoiseach told the House he took no role in seeking the disallowance of questions. I subsequently made a freedom of information request and discovered the Taoiseach had written to the Ceann Comhairle's office 69 times in six weeks directly asking for Members' questions to be disallowed. In the same period, he transferred 98 questions to other Ministers in order that he would not be obliged to answer them. While the final decision was not the Taoiseach's, he followed a clear strategy of reducing the areas on which he is obliged to answer questions. I ask him to withdraw the statement he made in the previous Dáil session that he plays no role in seeking the large-scale disallowance and transfer of questions from Deputies. He should withdraw formally the statement he put on the record of the House on the previous occasion.

In addition, although the Taoiseach has been praising himself for six months for saying "No" to President Van Rompuy's text on corporation tax from the Council meeting last March, he has been refusing to show that text to anyone. In response to a freedom of information request made in August, the Taoiseach again refused to release the Van Rompuy text from the European Council meeting, claiming the rules of the European Council would not allow this. The problem for the Taoiseach is I also contacted the European Council, which stated it could not supply the text directly but would encourage the national Government to release it. In this context, will the Taoiseach release the Van Rompuy text? Will he desist from relying inordinately on freedom of information legislation to avoid putting relevant information before this House on foot of genuine requests from Members?

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