Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It should be ten minutes. We have proposed solutions. We proposed the appointment of a beef regulator. We proposed bringing forward urgently the legislation for producer groups. We proposed dealing with the logjam which means that a farmer cannot export cattle live to Britain from Dublin in lorries. We proposed dealing with the labelling issue which means that cattle born and bred on this island and slaughtered on this island can either be sold as Irish cattle or British cattle. One would think with all the detente under way it would not be beyond the wit that if we could have the people as Irish citizens, then surely we could have the cattle from this island labelled as Irish too. We have proposed solutions.

It has become apparent in recent weeks that there is a trail of destruction following the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, in his role as Minister and as President of the European Council. In time his period in office will be seen as a period of major failure.

Another thing that is becoming apparent is that the Minister cannot accept criticism. The Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, knows that we agreed to a change in the rota for parliamentary questions on agriculture. Then the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine asked us to go back to the original date but did not turn up. Why did he not turn up? It was because he said that the American Secretary of State was in the country. I got an invitation to a reception approximately three or four weeks before the American Secretary of State came. I am sure that if I knew he was coming then the Minister knew well in advance that he was coming to the country. At the end of the day four times on four different days the Minister did not turn up in the House. I accept he is in America this week but that means it was all the more important that he should have turned up last week. The reality is that he does not seem to think that answering to the people elected by the people is of importance.

I noticed today that one of the backbenchers became rather concerned about Ireland's access to Europe. I assure that backbencher that if we need meetings with senior officials in the Commission we will get them with the Commissioner himself. The difference is that when we get those meetings they listen, unlike the Minister.

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