Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin has tabled a motion of no confidence in the Government and we call on all Teachtaí to support it. Some in Fianna Fáil, in particular, said we should not have tabled the motion and claim that it will prevent the McCabe family from getting answers to their very legitimate questions. That is nonsense. It is the behaviour of the current and previous Governments that prevent this.

For his part, the Taoiseach has put forward a motion of confidence which states: "Dáil Éireann reaffirms its confidence in the Government". That motion has only one signature, that of the Taoiseach. How could that be? Could the Taoiseach not get the support of anyone else in Fine Gael or the so-called Independents in government? Could he not get a dig out from his friends and partners in Fianna Fáil?

Deputy Billy Kelleher was gushing in his admiration of the Government today. He said he wanted to ensure that the Government survives. Why would any sensible and caring person want an incoherent, incompetent and shambolic Government to survive? Does Fianna Fáil not know what is happening in the health service or about the emergency in housing and homelessness? Does Fianna Fáil think the Government is fit for the challenges presented by Brexit? Does it forget that at the heart of the current controversy is an alleged criminal conspiracy by senior gardaí to destroy the character of a decent man doing his duty?

Yesterday, the Taoiseach told me it was irrelevant when he became aware of the false accusations against Sergeant McCabe. It is totally relevant. The Taoiseach keeps changing his story because he knows that. It seems to me that he has known for a very long time. The Taoiseach will clearly not want to answer my question and may wish to attack me personally. He can do so again and again, as part of his mock feigned anger, but that will not get anyone, in particular the McCabe family, any answers.

Having previously denied it, the Taoiseach now admits that the Minister, Deputy Zappone told him that false accusations made against Maurice McCabe were referred to Tusla. He said he told her that would be covered by the terms of the commission of investigation. The terms of reference were drawn up by Mr. Justice O'Neill, who read the two protected disclosures. Unless the Taoiseach had seen the disclosures, he would have had no way of knowing that the false accusations brought to him by the Minister, Deputy Zappone, were the false accusations contained in the protected disclosure. Was the Taoiseach aware of the content of these disclosures?

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