Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----gabh mo leithscéal, 22 March, but that is not for a real debate. That is for the reading of statements. We have lodged four motions and we will table an amendment for a debate on scrapping water charges, on the hospital and health crisis and on the need for a national monument to take in all of Moore Street.

I want to make the case again for an investigation into the sale of the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA’s, Northern loan book. The Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance and the Tánaiste have all dodged that question for the past two years when I and others put it to them. The Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for Finance and Personnel has just published a progress report on its investigation and put 2,000 pages of evidence, including much material which was previously undisclosed, into the public domain. Why can these critically important issues not be debated here? The committee was rightly critical of both the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, and NAMA for the way they handled the sale. This is the people’s money. The Taoiseach should make a statement to the Dáil on that matter sooner rather than later and we should be able to debate that entire scandal here.

We support the establishment of a sub-committee on Dáil reform as provided for under Standing Order 107. Ba cheart go mbeadh an Ceann Comhairle ina chathaoirleach ar an gcoiste sin agus go mbeadh scéala ar ais againn sa Dáil faoi cheann cheithre seachtaine. Meaningful reform of the Dáil has to include the notion of a rotating Leas-Cheann Comhairle, end the practice of excluding the introduction of money Bills from the Opposition benches, afford Oireachtas committees the power to introduce legislation, allow Members decide what the business of the Dáil will be - that should not be the preserve of the Taoiseach and the Government Chief Whip - and provide for Northern representation here, without voting rights but with speaking rights, which was agreed by a Fianna Fáil Taoiseach and ourselves and others. Tá a fhios agam, ón méid a dúirt an Ceann Comhairle, go bhfuil sé ar son deis a thabhairt do Theachtaí na rudaí seo a phléigh. Ba mhaith liom go mbeadh an deis againn é sin a dhéanamh.

The Taoiseach tells us he is now going to proceed, as he is bound to, to place his resignation in the hands of the President. He remains the caretaker Taoiseach and the Ministers remain in situ. They have the right, and I would argue the duty and the responsibility, to attend and be heard in this Chamber. They are going to come in and make statements but they cannot be held accountable. It is our firm view that they should be held accountable for their actions and decisions and that the Dáil should meet at least one day a week for meaningful debate, not just to go through the motions or for the optics.

Those of us present here and our party sought a very clear mandate to deal with the issues of, for example, the homeless who remain homeless as we sit here, the families in mortgage distress, the victims of the recent flooding who have still to get redress and others in rural Ireland who have been let down.

I received a call today from a Magdalen laundries survivor who had not yet received a full pension, despite assurances from the Department of Justice and Equality. The outgoing Ministers will not have a problem in receiving their pensions. There are still children suffering from long-term illnesses who cannot receive full medical cards.

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