Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It has handed the Government an opportunity to highlight the exemplary record of an outstanding Minister for Justice and Equality, and Defence. In the course of the past week, I have been struck by the number of times the Minister, Deputy Shatter, has been described by commentators, including critics, as being highly intelligent and extremely hard-working. He apologised in this House, not once but twice, while the political party that brought this country to its knees believes it has nothing for which to apologise.

As Minister of State in the Department of Defence, I have had the opportunity to work closely with the Minister, Deputy Shatter, and I can confirm that the first task that faced him on entering office was to deal with the funding deficit left by the previous Government. This was a result of its national recovery plan which had allocated amounts that were inadequate to pay the wages and pensions of personnel or to provide for essential equipment and supplies for the Defence Forces. As Minister, Deputy Shatter has secured the agreement of Government to stabilise the strength of the Defence Forces at 9,500. He has led a difficult and far-reaching programme of reform to ensure that the redeployment and re-organisation of the Defence Forces went ahead.

As Chief Whip, I have had a unique opportunity to observe the manner in which the Minister has tackled legislative reform. I will not mention the long list of legislation he has steered though this House in recent months. The Government has a long-term vision for areas of justice and defence which goes well beyond the correction of legacy issues around budgets. The previous Government dodged making difficult decisions but the reform process must start with making tough decisions. However, in the years under the remit of the Minister, Deputy Shatter, these reforms have been set in train and will bear fruit for years to come.

In the long term the grandstanding of the Deputies opposite will fool nobody. I cannot overlook the contribution made by Deputy Mattie McGrath in the circus of recent days. The comparison made by Deputy Buttimer last night to Lyndon Johnson hit the nail on the head. The former President used to say, "Of course the allegation is untrue but let's make him deny it". Deputy McGrath asked a question deliberately loaded with innuendo and sought to create an entirely false impression. He seems to think that if he repeats the words "Garda" and "breathalyser" often enough he will prove some kind of point. The Members of this House are allowed to speak without fear of being sued for defamation. This invaluable privilege is given to us so that our democratic debate can be conducted freely and without fear of the threat of litigation. It is not given to us in order to facilitate slander or innuendo, or to promote the spread of malicious gossip. Deputy McGrath has cynically abused Dáil privilege in an attempt to cast a shadow over the good name of the Minister, Deputy Shatter. The facts of the situation have been placed before the House by the Minister and that should have been the end of the matter. However, having made his outlandish allegation, Deputy McGrath cannot back it up and now seems uncertain of his source. I have a word of advice for Deputy Mattie McGrath. He should be careful not to believe every yarn he hears in every pub.

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