Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As Deputy Michael Healy-Rae said last week on behalf of the Rural Independent Group, we are not in favour of this. We have no interest in an impeachment process and we made that quite clear. There are no grounds for impeachment. However, we want the Minister for Justice to come to the House. Her predecessor should also come before the House because he slipped her the note. This is horse trading at its worst.

I asked the Taoiseach at the leaders' meeting if he was aware that the name was coming before the Cabinet and he never answered me. A murky deal has been done. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land and we all have to engage in due process. Anybody who is on a board of management understands processes and how people have to absent themselves if they have connections.

To his credit, the former Minister, Shane Ross, stopped the Government from making the appointment for ten months. When the letters started moving two days before the election between the Chief Justice and the then Minister, Deputy Flanagan, that was the start. The Government thought the then Minister, Shane Ross, would be gone within a couple of days. He lost his seat but there was a caretaker Government and he stopped that being done. It is blackguarding of the people.

There is talk of the separation of powers between the Judiciary and the House politically. Damage is being done every day by the prevarication here. We want the Minister for Justice to come before the House to answer questions. We often allow a rota swap between Ministers. We will not do that now because the Taoiseach is blackguarding the House.

See this speech in context