Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Martin observed that we have just had the shortest ever debate on the appointment of a new Minister.

That is a matter for this House. While other people may have wanted to speak, I understand from the Chief Whip there was no request for extra time. The House was informed last night by the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe. We have given extra time in the past and that time has not been filled. There is no difficulty for us, unless we have to meet specific commitments in terms of timetables that were set by the troika in regard to various things we had to have enacted by a certain time.

With regard to what I have just said, and what the Taoiseach said yesterday, my recollection of it is slightly better than Deputy Martin's. The Taoiseach said:

The terms of reference will obviously have to be debated here. The report is 300 pages long and needs to be considered carefully. [The net point is as follows.] It may not be appropriate, given its scale, for it to be debated next week, but that is a matter for agreement between the Whips.

If Deputy Martin is of the view, and if the Whips for the Sinn Féin Party and the Technical Group are of a similar view, I am sure we can accommodate that, although I do not want to pre-empt-----

See this speech in context