Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What is the Minister supposed to have done that is so wrong as to merit two days' debate at the prompting of a desperate Opposition anxious to deflect attention from a Government which has turned around an economy left on its knees by the party opposite before it was run out of office three years ago? On 1 February 2011, the current leader of Fianna Fáil, who is heading up the witch hunt against the Minister, appointed Deputy Willie O'Dea to his Front Bench despite that Deputy having resigned from his post as Minister for Defence in February 2010. It is difficult to credit the hypocrisy and double standards now being displayed by Fianna Fáil.

Tonight's debate is about confidence in Deputy Alan Shatter as a Minister. When one compares his work to the work of his predecessors in the Department, there is no contest. He has a long list to his credit including legislation, modernisation, reform of our prisons, important changes to the jurisdiction of the courts, numerous guidance documents and reform of citizenship applications . I could go on, but this debate is about attacking the Minister's style rather than the substance of his work.

See this speech in context