Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

-----would certainly be a lot more critical of Ministers than we are likely to see tomorrow. Finally, we saw the Government and Ceann Comhairle ramming through changes last week in a way that was simply not acceptable.

The attitude of the Taoiseach throughout this saga has been deeply frustrating. He has become increasingly tetchy in patronising Opposition leaders, accusing us of subverting democracy and, today, even of being arsonists. He gets deeply offended if we question his motivations and insists this is about a change to benefit Government backbenchers and give them more speaking time, but the reality is Government backbenchers will lose out. Other Members' Questions is being introduced at the expense of Taoiseach's Questions on a Wednesday, a slot that is now, as we saw today, being used by backbenchers lobbying for a junior Ministry who are queueing up to tell the Taoiseach how great he is and what a great job he is doing.

The Taoiseach has changed his view on Dáil reform. He went through some selective memories about the Labour Party. Let me remind him that, in 2016, after the February general election, he made Dáil reform a condition of Government formation, saying there should be a "Major limit on [the] ability of government to control all business on an ongoing basis." At the time, Fianna Fáil produced a paper on Dáil reform stating: "freeing the Oireachtas from the absolute control of government is the single most important reform which is required." How things have changed. What has the Taoiseach done? He has got a secret deal with the Lowry group and all these great principles have gone out the window. He has overturned decades of parliamentary precedent and created a noxious environment.

The Taoiseach wants to attack the Labour Party because we happen to agree with all the other parties in opposition on this issue. This attack is unwarranted. Other parties have their own histories, but I am proud to lead a party that has, for more than a century, worked to uphold the highest standards in public office. We have an unbroken record of holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards. The Taoiseach cannot say the same of his own party. When it comes to ethics, it is not the Labour Party that has negotiated a deal with a convicted offender who has been named by a tribunal as "profoundly corrupt". Members of Lowry’s own group will not even sit beside him, but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will stop at nothing to defend him and his deal.

Regrettably, the Ceann Comhairle's office has been drawn into this. The Ceann Comhairle should enjoy bipartisan support. Under Standing Orders, she must apply the rules in an impartial and fair manner but last Tuesday, she deemed the Order of Business passed without a vote, despite clear objections from Opposition benches. In other words, she caused business to be carried out without a legitimate democratic basis and went on to ensure that the Standing Order change was rammed through in a highly contested process. For that reason, and with deep regret, the Labour Party now considers her position is no longer tenable. That is why we signed the amendment to this motion and why we will vote accordingly. As democrats, once that vote is held, we will of course accept its outcome. The Government may win the vote but we have won the argument. People see through this farce. The responsibility for that lies with the Government. This will be the lasting legacy of Micheál Martin on Dáil reform: a noxious environment in the Chamber; a breakdown in relationships; and two fingers from Michael Lowry.

The well of goodwill has been well and truly poisoned and all efforts to reach a resolution in good faith were rebuffed by Government. This is a mess of the Government's making.

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