Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, too, express every confidence in the Taoiseach, the Attorney General and the Government. It strikes me that one always hears Deputies speak about political reform. While it may be possible to change rules, improve accountability or have things run more smoothly, it is not possible to account fully for human nature. This motion is an example of Deputies playing silly buggers. It wastes time that could be spent discussing ongoing issues that need to be addressed. Fianna Fáil Deputies in particular cannot speak about economic success and recovery given that the Taoiseach has taken us back from the precipice to which their party led us.

We were about to fall over but he has put the country on the road to recovery with the support of Government and all on the backbench. What we should be debating is the fallout of Fianna Fáil in government and how we are trying to fix legacy issues, whether it is housing or the many other issues we face as a consequence of the bad management, to say the very least, of Fianna Fáil.

I pay tribute to the Attorney General. Fair play to this Government for appointing her as the first woman. We have an outstanding Attorney General in Máire Whelan. I spent at least four hours with her alongside another colleague, debating and exploring my concerns about the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill. Not only is she extremely competent, she is deeply motivated to serve in her office for the common good. This Attorney General has overseen probably the greatest amount of reforming legislation in the history of the State. She has a deep commitment to the public interest. In relation to the 30-year Garda recording controversy, the Attorney General demonstrated this deep commitment by her action to ensure that the rights of citizens were not adversely prejudiced by the potential destruction of recordings that could possibly contain exculpatory evidence. Those on the Opposition benches are doing their best to put her down and rubbish her. The way the old boys standing together on the Opposition benches are attempting to gang up on her smacks more than a little of male chauvinism.

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