Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I asked the Taoiseach whether Deputy Shatter or anyone acting on his behalf had been in touch with the Taoiseach's Department, the Ceann Comhairle or anyone else in the Oireachtas, but he did not answer.

I had to ask the question again before he conceded and he has not told us the content of the letter. This is the stuff that the Government is not good at. This is where they make a mess of it and they have consistently made a mess of it.

It should have been a simple, straightforward matter for the Government to order business in a way which took on board the Ceann Comhairle's views, if that was in the Taoiseach's mind, but allowed Members to have our say on these matters. Instead, however, we had to drag it out of him. That has consistently been the record of this Government - not coming forward and empowering people here with information on which we can make sound judgments.

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