Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy should calm down and relax. Dáil reform was championed in the previous Dáil by the Deputy's then party leader and former Taoiseach, former Deputy Brian Cowen. We decided to engage in detailed discussions at the committees on all of the Estimates. As the then finance spokesperson, I listened to endless discussions on how we should debate and examine outcomes. Yesterday, last week, the week before and perhaps even the week before that, almost every Minister spent approximately two to three hours at committee meeting which the Deputy's party, when in government, stated would lead to Dáil reform. Perhaps we got something wrong because at the time the rest of us actually agreed that the process would allow an in-depth analysis of the Estimates. We did what the Deputy's party asked us to do. Most Members, including many on the Opposition benches, appreciate the opportunity to engage in in-depth debate, as I did for a couple of hours yesterday on social welfare spending of €19 billion, during which a couple of hundred questions must have been asked. Where I did not have the full answer sought, I said I would be in touch in writing with Deputy Willie O'Dea. I left the debate in the middle of the afternoon to take part in some other work being done in the Dáil. I came here at 9.30 a.m. and have not yet sat down to write to Deputy Willie O'Dea but I will do so, as I do in normal course, in reply to one or two queries that he raised.

I do not know why Deputy Sean Fleming is so agitated about this issue because this is what he wanted. There has been detailed debate on all of the Revised Estimates. Fianna Fáil Members took part in all of the debates, including Deputy Willie O'Dea at the committee meeting I attended. If Deputy Sean Fleming wants to vote against the Revised Estimates, that is fine. However, when the motions were put to the committees to refer them back the Dáil, nobody complained. I will take into account what the Deputy has raised and if we can be of assistance in dealing with his queries, I will certainly undertake to see to it that that happens.

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