Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before I begin with my question, I want to add to the comments made by the Tánaiste on this last sitting day of the Thirty-third Dáil, about the work of all the staff who have ensured the smooth running of these Houses during difficult times. I thank the ushers, cleaners, kitchen staff and those who ensure the proceedings are broadcast and the media which plays a vital role in making sure that the debates are spread further and further afield.

As I was reminded by the Tánaiste, we were stretched here. Many of us like to forget the convention centre days, but people stretched themselves in relation to that. I want to add to those comments.

When the Tánaiste mentioned the convention centre days, those were the days when he was claiming that the banks were never bailed out. I am not sure whether he will go into the general election campaign with that slogan or whether he has resiled from that; time will tell.

We are going into an election. The Taoiseach will call the election tomorrow. The Irish people have waited almost five years to have their say and it is now vital that voters have every opportunity to hear and see what parties have to offer. We have learned that Virgin Media has refused to hold any leadership debates in the course of the general election campaign. In 2020, there were seven leadership debates three on RTÉ, three on Virgin Media and one on TG4 with some controversy obviously as our party leader was excluded from the initial debate. It is shocking that this has been reduced to two leadership debates altogether, with RTÉ having a monopoly. Does the Tánaiste believe that it is important that RTÉ and Virgin Media both host leadership debates during the election campaign as it is an important public service role for both our two main operators?

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