Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I note the Taoiseach's statement earlier and I was surprised by it. The reason I was surprised was that the Taoiseach asked all leaders to come together last Friday. We all came together as an Oireachtas because this was not meant to be a Government versus Opposition issue but the Government has now issued a statement. However, the Government members are also Members of the Oireachtas.

The Oireachtas is going to have to take decisions on this issue. Rather than acting as he has done, it would have been polite and appropriate for the Taoiseach to have had his discussion, but then for him to have asked all the leaders of parties and groups to come together to discuss this issue again and to have formally stated what the view of the three leaders in the Government was. I state that because this approach undermines what we did. I would be reluctant to get involved in another group, if the Taoiseach were to do the same thing on another issue, because it seems as if last Friday was a fishing exercise. Why did the Taoiseach not call all the leaders to come together after today's Cabinet meeting, state what the Government believed and then ask us what we thought? We may have varying views.

I asked the Taoiseach a simple question last Friday, which I do not mind repeating now because I have said it in public so often. I asked for the other correspondence. I see no reason the Chief Justice cannot release the other correspondence, which would then give us a fuller picture of what has happened in this case. The Taoiseach did not even come back to me regarding that issue. I asked him to do so. I ask him to show me where he did.

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