Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is very clear that not alone does the Tánaiste not keep the Taoiseach’s diary, he is clearly not informed or perhaps kept abreast of some of the significant meetings that take place within the diary. I am sure he will agree with me that it is very important for the purpose of public confidence, but also for the purpose of the confidence of Members of the Dáil, that we are sure a full account of events as they transpired is given in the House. People watching as the sequence of events unfolded remarked at the fact that there were information gaps. The view was that things that were wildly implausible were placed on the record of the House and insisted upon as a full account of events.

I have the diary and it says that at 7.30 a.m. on the Sunday the Taoiseach met the Minister for Justice and Equality, who was just back from Mexico, and his officials. I assume that Brian Purcell, being the most senior official, was present at the meeting. The Tánaiste clearly had no notice and no knowledge of the meeting. That is an issue of concern for him. Given the seriousness of those matters, I would have thought he would have forensically trawled through the sequence of events, and who met who and when, with the Taoiseach. That is what I would have done if I were in his position.

Will the Tánaiste establish for us the following facts? Why was the meeting scheduled so early on a Sunday morning? It is not part of the Taoiseach’s routine to meet officials at 7.30 a.m. on a Sunday. We know that because we have his diary. Did the meeting take place? It is in the Taoiseach’s diary so we presume it did. Who was at the meeting? What was discussed at the meeting? Was the taping of phone calls discussed? Were issues relating to Commissioner Callinan discussed? Crucially, why is it that in all the Taoiseach has had to say on these matters to “put Paddy in the picture”, as he would put it, this particular meeting has been edited out of his script? Does the Tánaiste agree it is a matter of concern for Members of the Dáil and for the Tánaiste if a meeting at that level was held at the time and he knew nothing about it and neither did we and the Dáil was not informed of it?

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