Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the news that additional staff have been allocated to the Attorney General's office, because the Taoiseach has said in the past that there were pressures on the office due to the demands of the EU-IMF programme. He said it in respect of necessary legislation on domestic violence and the necessary recognition of collective bargaining rights for workers, both of which are being delayed due to the pressures of the EU-IMF programme. Could the Taoiseach give us some sense of whether this remains a problem and whether the provision of new staff means that we will have legislation on these two issues or indeed on the failure thus far to provide for free GP care for those on the long-term illness scheme?

The Supreme Court judgment on the McCrystal case in respect of the children's rights referendum led to some critical comment, including some from the Taoiseach's backbenchers, about the role of the Attorney General. The Supreme Court found that the Government publications during the referendum had breached the McKenna principles and were not fair, equal, impartial or neutral. This was a very significant judgment. As the Taoiseach knows, Government spending has been raised in previous campaigns and has been a continuing cause for concern. As I understand it, the Attorney General signed off on the final working text in the Government's information booklet and website. Is that the case? Who made the decision to produce a Government booklet on the referendum rather than leave that work to the Referendum Commission? Did the Government seek advice from the Attorney General on the legality of this and has that practice been ended in light of the Supreme Court judgment?

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