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

No. When negotiating a programme for Government, parties outline their objectives. They might list X, Y and Z, indicating that they will deal with freedom of information or the Official Secrets Act, which the Government indicated it would amend, for certain reasons. For some reason, both parties agreed to formally insert a commitment as follows: "We will legislate on the issue of Cabinet confidentiality." What would the legislation do with respect to Cabinet confidentiality? What was the intention behind those who put the programme for Government together? Why was the line inserted and why did the Taoiseach sign off on it? I take it he signed off on every sentence with the then Tánaiste, Deputy Gilmore. What was in his mind?

We know Cabinet confidentiality is provided for in the Constitution. Everybody knows that and the Taoiseach knew it before the Government was formed. Why was this included? Must we reach the conclusion that the Taoiseach did not know what he was doing when the line was inserted and he did not have the foggiest notion of why it was put in? He still does not have an idea. It is a formal item in the programme for Government which states: "We will legislate on the issue of Cabinet confidentiality." All I want to find out is what this is for and why has it not been done. Somebody must have had the intention to do something and now the Government has decided not to do it.

Nobody in this House is any the wiser about the intentions or objectives of the Government with respect to Cabinet confidentiality when the programme for Government was put together. Was it meant to relax Cabinet confidentiality? Was there to be a constitutional amendment relating to Cabinet confidentiality? We know the banking inquiry cannot breach it because of the format that has been designed and was proposed to the House by the Government. What was the intention? Was the proposed legislation with a view to a referendum on relaxing Cabinet confidentiality? Will the Taoiseach enlighten me in any shape or form on the motivation behind the provision in the programme for Government, or the objectives which the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and others in the Government had at that time? It is a very straightforward question.

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