Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I would like to bring to the Chair's attention that the Fine Gael spokesperson on justice, equality and law reform merely said that he hoped that the Ceann Comhairle's office-----

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have dealt with the matter now.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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We have not dealt with it.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are proceeding with the Order of Business. I call the Taoiseach.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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All the Deputy said was that he hoped that the Ceann Comhairle's office was not complicit in this matter-----

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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There was clear implication it was.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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All he said was that he hoped that the Ceann Comhairle's office was not complicit. The Ceann Comhairle is wrong on this.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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That is an insinuation. The Deputy knew exactly what he was doing.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to reply. As the Ceann Comhairle said, the facility of a personal explanation is available to a Member in the House under Standing Orders and if there were any requirement - and I believe there should not be - for political or other reasons to bring a motion to the House, that is a matter for other Members to consider.

Deputy Kenny referred to standards. I believe in standards. The Cabinet Handbook and the Code of Conduct for Office Holders refers to people in the performance of their duties. I obviously also accept that in regard to their private capacity, I expect Ministers to ensure where an error occurs, it is rectified, it is apologised for-----

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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When they are caught out on tape.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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-----and it is accepted by the party concerned. There is an acceptance by the party concerned not in terms of how it is interpreted in this House that Deputy O'Dea acted innocently-----

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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He had it done under duress.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Taoiseach, without interruption.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputies do not want to hear this quote because it does not suit their political purposes. That is their problem and that is the standard they go by.

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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They did it to George Lee last week. Poor George.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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He did not fall out of any tree the Minister was looking up.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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However, the standard I want to explain is where a person admits an error and acts in good faith once the error is drawn to his or her attention and obtains the agreement of the party concerned that he or she acted innocently in the matter. Despite Deputy Rabbitte's guffawing, I will quote from the settlement. It is not suggested-----

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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He has been lying in here for 25 years.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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No; the lies are in The Lost Revolution.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I read it over Christmas and the Deputy was fairly prominent in it.

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy did not welcome the INLA decommissioning.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I ask him to leave it. Let us not talk about lies or untruths.

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy did not welcome the INLA decommissioning, did he?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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It is not suggested by Mr. Quinlivan-----

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Neither did Deputy Gilmore or Lady Wicklow. They were very quiet.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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It was SR Technics the Taoiseach should have been reading about.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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-----that Deputy O'Dea acted other than innocently in making such a denial, and he accepts - that is, the party concerned accepts - that there was no intention to mislead on the part of Deputy O'Dea.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Are these the taxi drivers?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Those are the standards I expect from a person when an error is made.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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He did not sign the affidavit.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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He is admitting to it and is attempting to solve the problem and deal with it to the satisfaction of the aggrieved person.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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He was caught out.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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That is what I expect.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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That is not good enough.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are proceeding with the Order of Business. I have an amendment from Deputy Kenny which is not in order. It is the Taoiseach's prerogative under Standing Orders to introduce the proposal for the Order of Business.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the proposal for dealing with Private Members' business agreed?

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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On that point, I understand that a statement will be made at 7 p.m., the time at which Private Members' business was to start. How does this affect the order to finish Private Members' time at 8.30 p.m.? Will the statement time be taken from the Private Members' business slot?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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The statement will be before 7 p.m.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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At what time?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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It depends on how we get on now. We have some more business to transact.

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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That is no answer.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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He wants an opportunity to record it.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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It will be as soon as possible. We have a special notice question with which to deal.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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I cannot hear the Ceann Comhairle.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have a special notice question to deal with and it may take some time.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Has the Ceann Comhairle an indication of the time at which the statement will start?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is intended that it will be before 7 p.m.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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What time is that?

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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At what time exactly?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is dependent on the special notice question, in which I am sure there is considerable interest, but it is intended to have it before 7 p.m.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Does the Minister intend to slip in and make the statement without telling us the time?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is intended to be before 7 p.m.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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What is meant by "before 7 p.m."?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Before 7 o'clock.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Does that mean at 6 o'clock? "Before 7 p.m." includes 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Does the Ceann Comhairle not know?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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It will be at 6.55 p.m.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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At five minutes before 7 p.m.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Yes.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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On a point of order-----

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Kehoe without interruption.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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It was indicated this morning that the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, would make a statement after Private Members' business. As Whip, I then got a message that the statement would be made at 7 p.m. Now we do not know when it will be made.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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When the long hand is at 11 and the short hand is at 7.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I do not accept-----

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We will have it before 7 p.m.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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May I finish? It is not acceptable-----

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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It is not acceptable that the Minister could enter the Chamber on a whim at any time to make his statement. It is important that we nail down a time as to when he will be in the House making his statement.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Burn the Sunday Independent.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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We will send Deputy Kehoe a text.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Could the Minister send an affidavit instead?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We must move on.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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At what time will the Minister make a statement? When will he be in the House?

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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In due course.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have indicated that a suitable time will be 6.55 p.m.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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That clashes with "Nob Nation".

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We estimate that it will take the Minister approximately five minutes to make the statement. It will be immediately prior to Private Members' business.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Can the Ceann Comhairle give a commitment that Private Members' time will be 90 minutes? This is the only commitment we seek.

Deputies:

That is sacrosanct.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is intended to respect that. Is the proposal agreed? Agreed.