Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghuí ar na hAirí ar son an Rural Independent Group.

I compliment Deputy Calleary on his forthcoming appointment as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and wish him well. I also congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, and the incoming Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, on their new positions. In his time as Chief Whip, Deputy Calleary has worked exceptionally well with the Whips of the different parties and groups. There is a huge legislative programme to get through but he has always been understanding and engaging in his role as Chief Whip. He has looked for agreement rather than division. I have worked with Deputy Calleary for decades, going back to his days in Ógra Fianna Fáil, and since he came into the Dáil in 2007. I have had many a joust and jostle with him and no doubt we will have many more, but I know the west is wide awake this morning.

I do not mind what others say about Ministers for regions, but regions must be represented at the Cabinet and, before today, the west was not represented. Now it will be well and truly represented. I know there will be a small celebration in Carty's Bar in Knock and other places. Breda Laffey will be very happy, as will many others. Deputy Calleary's wife, his mother and all his family will be proud. I wish him well and look forward to working with him in these very difficult and challenging times, with the Common Agricultural Policy negotiations and the demise of agriculture. If he can make one mark, I hope it will be to cut out half the bureaucracy and red tape that is involved in the schemes run by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Many of those schemes are going back with moneys not drawn down simply because of the bureaucratic red tape.

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, well and I look forward to working with him as Chief Whip. The incoming Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, who is from close to my own heartland of Tipperary, proved his ability, capacity for forensic questioning and fairness as Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts. He will be well able for the challenge that is put up to him today.

It is a sad time for the former Minister, Deputy Cowen. I wish him, his wife, his mum, his brother, who is in recovery, and all the Cowen family well. I knew and had engagement with his late dad, Ber, when he served as Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture. He often travelled to meetings at the greyhound track in Clonmel and engaged with people there. The Cowen family has a long and proud history of service to politics. I stood up yesterday in this House to speak about the situation following Deputy Cowen's statement to the Dáil last week. I have just received a text message indicating that the Garda Síochána has contacted the Data Protection Commissioner to investigate the leak of information relating to Deputy Cowen. This is a very serious situation and it is why I did not support the proposal yesterday to have another debate or ask additional questions. We have a huge legislative programme and a huge amount of work to get through. Deputy Cowen came into the House last week to give a profound apology for a crime he committed and for which he paid the price. He did the crime and he did the time. Now we are going to have a forensic investigation of the matter. Are any of us who ever robbed an orchard going to be hauled before the Oireachtas for statements?

It is the parties of the left, in the main, which were grandstanding on this issue. I resent the fact that yesterday, after I opposed her party's proposal regarding Deputy Cowen, the self-proclaimed leader of the Opposition, who thinks other Opposition Deputies will be silenced, told me it was the most untruthful statement I ever uttered.

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