Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, Deputy. In reply to your point, I have already made it known that it is becoming unacceptable that week after week we are losing a slot. The fact is that another slot could have been used by somebody else today. Next week, because this matter has been postponed, only three slots will be available on Tuesday, so two slots have been lost. My office received no prior notice that Ministers were not available. If that had happened, and there was a good reason for it, we could have postponed the matter and picked somebody else's issue. I am asking, on the record, for Ministers to be conscious that this is an important opportunity for a Deputy to raise serious issues. It is a shame to be losing valuable slots like this, although I know it is not the Minister, Deputy Donohoe's, fault. I just wanted to put that on the record.

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