Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Order of Business is completely unacceptable. While the issue of the smear campaign against Maurice McCabe can be dealt with by a public commission of investigation, that is not the only issue at stake here. There are questions which need to be answered in terms of the Taoiseach's management and the management by Ministers of the Government. At the very least, the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, must come before the House to make statements clarifying direct contradictions in accounts about who knew about the Tusla reports, when they knew, what they decided to do or not do about those things or whether to include them in terms of reference. All of those things need to be addressed by the Taoiseach. The Government must address why it refuses to suspend the Commissioner or to ask her to step aside, without prejudice, pending the outcome of an investigation when that is normal practice for somebody against whom such allegations are made.

There was supposed to be a Business Committee meeting at 1 p.m. which was requested by a number of parties. The Government collapsed that meeting to discuss this issue. On the insistence of ourselves and others, a meeting took place at 1.30 p.m. but the Government came in and no discussions happened. It came in to say the meeting had been put off until 4 p.m. It is unacceptable to have any delay for people to concoct new stories. We want direct, factual accounts and statements from the various people.

Fianna Fáil did not speak up against the move to delay that Business Committee discussion. We need an answer about statements today, not tomorrow or Thursday, from the relevant Ministers and, for that matter, from those who have made statements on this on the Opposition benches so that the public gets truth and clarity.

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