Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When the former Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, drew attention to a scandal involving the Minister for Health, the Labour Party leadership looked the other way. I hope the Ministers of State who are in attendance do not mind me raising the big issue of the North, the peace process and the need to implement the Good Friday Agreement fully. Most of the Government's commentary on this issue in the Chamber has been reduced to heckles as Ministers and backbenchers seek to distract attention from the bad decisions and policies they are pursuing. As we have seen this week, the peace process is too important to be treated in this way. It would be better for the Government to work in an intelligent, strategic and consistent manner for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the other agreements as it is obliged to do. It would be better for the Government to work with Sinn Féin and others to bring about Irish unity, as they are constitutionally bound to do.

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