Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I fully understand the cynicism of the public. Once again, the Taoiseach has refused to answer the question. He has obfuscated and talked about new legislation. The absence of legislation was not a problem in this case; there is legislation in place. The kernel of the issue is that the Taoiseach failed to comply with it and to give an explanation as to why he had not complied with it and why section 18 of the 1995 Act, as amended, had not been acted on. It is a simple question: why was that provision not complied with? It is not a question of new legislation and it is despairing to think we need another debacle to force the Government to push ahead with new legislation. Will the Taoiseach acknowledge to the Chamber that he regrets what happened and that the procedure followed was not appropriate? Will he give an explanation as to why section 18 of the 1995 Act was not complied with?

Finally, it is significant that when the Taoiseach made his first speech to the Dáil after being elected, he chose not to elaborate on any of this but he did make a significant point that he agreed with the token opposition and the leader of Fianna Fáil that he would come to some agreement with him to silence the true voices of opposition in this Dáil.

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