Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach has again stated that he has full confidence in the Minister, Deputy Shatter, and he clearly knows something the rest of us do not, as the facts in so far as we know them are very straightforward. The Minister, Deputy Shatter, made use of privileged information he received from the Garda Commissioner in an attempt to smear an Teachta Wallace. He has acknowledged that. The Taoiseach and the Minister have indicated that he was merely pointing out that an Teachta Wallace had been protesting about discretion being used by the Garda while he had availed of it himself. He stated that an Teachta Wallace was wrong not to point this out.

At the same time, the Minister appears to have benefitted from this discretion. Has the Taoiseach sought an explanation from the Minister about the issue? It appears a bit strange in the real world when one Deputy, an Teachta Wallace, gets a nod from a garda at traffic lights and it ends up with the Garda Commissioner and the Minister whereas another Deputy, an Teachta Shatter, can be stopped at what the Taoiseach described as a mandatory Garda roadblock without a similar outcome. There would have been an actual exchange with a garda or number of gardaí and an incomplete breathalyser test, but we have been told there is no report. Was there a report or has the report gone missing? Has the Taoiseach asked the Minister if he co-operated with gardaí when he was stopped?

Did he use privilege on the basis he was travelling from the Dáil to avoid completing the breathalyser test?

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