Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom an lánmhuinín atá agam i mo chomhghleacaí, an tAire, an Teachta Coveney, a chur in iúl. People in public life make mistakes and will continue to do so long after we are all gone. Public representatives should be held accountable for these mistakes. Deputy Coveney has accounted for these mistakes at committee not once, but twice. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we have Sinn Féin standing right at the top of the high moral mountain and calling for Deputy Coveney's head on the grounds of a mistake he made, even though he is a dedicated politician with an incredible track record who gave a great deal on Brexit, the UN Security Council campaign and the restoration of the Assembly in the North. Sinn Féin is saying off with his head for making a mistake which he has accounted for twice. It is saying we should end his career. What message is that for our young people and people who might consider going into public office?

Meanwhile, back on the crowded Sinn Féin high moral mountain, in the words of Deputy Carthy, the Sinn Féin Party has made political appointments to boards, including Foras na Gaeilge, based on “a process and on a set of defined considerations” and furthermore that "Any person that we have nominated to any board at all, has always been on the basis of them being, in our view, the most suitably qualified candidate.” The result of this defined process has led to the following. Out of 16 board members of Foras na Gaeilge - eight from the South, nominated by the Irish Government, and eight from the North, nominated by the Northern Ireland Executive - at least six have links with Sinn Féin. One such member is Liadh Ní Riada, a former presidential candidate for Sinn Féin. Did Deputy McDonald propose Liadh Ní Riada for this position? Sinn Féin councillor, Conor McGuinness, who is the leas-chathaoirleach of the board of Foras na Gaeilge, is from Waterford and works closely with Deputy Cullinane. What was Deputy Cullinane's role, if any, in this appointment? We also have Kevin Ó hEadhra, a Sinn Féin activist and candidate who stood in the 2019 local elections in Connemara, and Niall Ó Gallochobhair from Lifford. I know Mr. Ó Gallochobhair well and he is a good guy. He is a political adviser and constituency manager with Deputy Doherty. Did Deputy Doherty have a role in this appointment? Other board members include Maighréad Ní Chonghaile from Belfast, who is principal of a Gaelscoil and a member of Sinn Féin, and Caoimhín Mac Giolla Mhín, who is from Belfast and who was a Sinn Féin councillor for six years. Tá blas na fimíneachta i gceist. This is hypocrisy at its best.

This was not Simon's finest hour and nobody knows that better than Simon himself. However, there are wider issues as we hold this so-called debate tonight. This is the level of political discourse, to which Deputy Richmond alluded, despite all the relevant and critical issues facing us which must be dealt with, including all of the issues that emerged during August when this charade was ongoing. Covid is still an issue. Our young people in primary and secondary school are still facing disruption. They are still having their education in schools disrupted because of Covid. We also have issues across six or seven counties where people are living with the nightmare of their houses falling down due to mica and pyrite. We face many critical issues of importance. Yes, Ministers need to be held to account but is this really where we are at?

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