Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The Government has just voted to block a question-and-answer session about alleged corruption on the part of the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins. The Taoiseach described a question-and-answer session in the Dáil with a Minister of State as a kangaroo court. That is quite an incredible attitude to take to the basic idea of parliamentary accountability. If I may take the Taoiseach up on what he just said to Deputy Mairéad Farrell, is it his belief that the Local Government Act does not apply at all to local electoral area committees or is it just section 177 that does not apply to them? I do not understand on what legal basis the Taoiseach suggests that is the case. When the Minister of State participated in a meeting which agreed to put land up for sale that his wife had applied to buy, he was acting as a councillor.

Surely the Local Government Act applies to him and therefore his failure to recuse himself, his failure to declare a conflict of interest is not only a breach of the code of ethics but a breach of that legislation and an indictable offence.

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