Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister lectured us earlier about having a conversation on the Constitution, but he is now resorting to cheap shots such as that he has just made. Let me echo what he said earlier. This Government is under pressure, the Labour Party is under pressure and a particular Minister is under pressure. The type of accusation just made is beneath the Minister - whom I respect on a personal basis - and below contempt.

This is about a constitutional right. It is about the inclusion of the right to water in our Constitution. It is an issue that 150,000 members of the public marched for and that tens of thousands will march for on 10 December. It is time for the Government to wise up, listen and stop its cheap political point-scoring off people like me. I was democratically elected by the people of Donegal South-West. I remind the Minister I had to use the Constitution for which he suggests we have no regard to take the previous Government to court to force an election it tried to stop. We will use every opportunity under the Constitution and under people's rights to defend the rights of the people. That is why we want to ensure the right to water is enshrined in the Constitution.

See this speech in context