Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. All Members can agree that there is a disturbing trend in Dáil Éireann for some Deputies and parties to play fast and loose with the reputations of others. Instead of allowing due process, it appears that it is now fair game to throw out allegations and say "to hell with giving any person the right to be protected against false allegations." What has emerged is that it is the rule of politics first, while basic decency has been forgotten. This is relevant to the two questions I tabled because the Taoiseach will remember that both he and the Chief Whip made allegations in this House that files in the Department of the Taoiseach had disappeared. The question now is whether the Taoiseach has the basic decency to withdraw the slur against the officials of his Department and his predecessor. At the very least, if he is not capable of giving an apology, he could state he was withdrawing any suggestion that the files, in his own words, had disappeared "behind radiators" or anywhere else. Will he give a straight and honest answer to that question and withdraw the assertions made? Now that the banking inquiry committee is starting its public work, it must work very hard to show it is not a body to be driven by the Government's desire to be sure of the outcome. It would be an important start to its work if the Taoiseach was willing to state in this Chamber that he was not alleging that files had disappeared and that he did not want anyone to prejudge anything or anybody. It has been proved repeatedly that a large number of files are available in both the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Finance. I wrote to the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach who is satisfied that all records were kept in accordance with the law. I believe the Taoiseach's own reply today confirms the same point about the central registry, the process by which files are initiated and then removed to archives when they are perhaps no longer needed in current day-to-day work.

It also has been confirmed that the Taoiseach does not keep minutes in the way he stated was basic. Previously, when he was responding on this issue, he stated it was basic to keep minutes. I tabled a question to him about the commitment in the programme for Government on record-keeping and it has now been sent to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin. However, Members on this side of the House have formally sought the minutes of the conversations that led to the effective dismissal of the Garda Commissioner, only to be told that there are no such minutes and that there does not appear to be any record of them. In essence, it is important and the Taoiseach's reply clarifies a number of issues regarding how files are created, how they are kept and how they are monitored consistently. I ask that he now withdraw the assertions he made about his predecessor and potentially officials in his Department.

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