Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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The House will resume on Question No. 6. Questions Nos. 6 to 8, inclusive, are being taken together.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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On the day the Taoiseach nominated the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, he stated he would have certain responsibilities with regard to the public service. He also announced the Government's intention to appoint a public service board which would include people from outside the public service with the appropriate experience and skills. Perhaps I missed it at some stage, but I do not recall seeing that the board had been appointed. Can the Taoiseach tell the House if the public service board has been appointed and, if so, who are its members?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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That appointment is imminent.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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It has been imminent for a while. When we asked the Taoiseach about this on 5 May last, he said the board had not been appointed and he was anxious to get through to it. At that stage he was waiting for the Croke Park agreement to be ratified. That has happened. Is it not an indication of the lack of urgency and seriousness about public service reform that a board that the Taoiseach promised------

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy, you are anticipating a question later on. You are moving forward with undue haste.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I am dealing with the appointment. This announcement was made, together with the announcement of the appointment of the Minister of Sate, Deputy Calleary, who was given responsibility for the public service, which I was very glad to see, and it was to be backed up by having a public service board. At some stage the Taoiseach said he intended that the board would be made up of a majority of people from outside the public service. Can he tell the House when the board will be appointed?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I have recently signed off on the names.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Would the Taoiseach like to share the information?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have the information. Until it is announced it would not be appropriate.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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How many members will it have?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have the details in front of me but I have spoken to the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, about it and I have signed off on it.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State, Deputy John Curran, who is also Chief Whip, came into the House last week to respond to a private notice question on the High Court findings of the day before regarding the by-election situation in Donegal South-West. On the three previous occasions that I attempted to progress a motion here to move the writ for Donegal South-West, the same Minister of State came into the House to respond on behalf of the Government.

I understand the role and responsibility for electoral matters rests with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, the leader of the Green Party. There was most certainly surprise and not a little frustration that the Minister, Deputy Gormley, did not present to take the private notice question last Thursday but could arrive quickly on its heels into the Chamber.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy, there must be another way to pursue this matter, perhaps through a parliamentary question directly to the line Minister.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I am pursuing a very valid question. Where in the brief of the Minister of State, Deputy Curran, does responsibility for electoral matters before this House rest? Nowhere in the job description or in anything that the Taoiseach has outlined to us here today would suggest that it is a function directly under his aegis. I would like an explanation relevant to these questions as to why it is the case that the Minister who has responsibility has patently failed to face up to it but can present in the House otherwise and why the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach is performing this role over a protracted period.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Government dealt with the private notice question which came before it and set out the Government's position. The Minister of State, Deputy Curran, has dealt with the specific matter since it was raised in the first instance in the House. He was in a position to give a full and explicit explanation. The Minister, Deputy Gormley, was not in a position to attend at that time. It was dealt with on a Government basis and the Minister of State concerned explained the matter in full, which is the purpose of a private notice question.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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That is my question. The Taoiseach said he has dealt with it when it has been raised on each occasion but my question is why the Minister of State, Deputy Curran, was given that responsibility which does not fall under any portfolio responsibility which the Taoiseach has seconded to him or within his Department? It falls within the ambit of the Minister, Deputy Gormley, who has at all times absented himself from the Chamber, just as he has today. He has absented himself consistently in regard to these particular matters, yet last week we had a situation whereby immediately following the private notice question he could present here in regard to another electoral matter, namely, the Dublin mayoral issue. I find the situation difficult to understand.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy, there is far too much comment leading to your question.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Nothing in the Taoiseach's reply explains the situation in any way.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The question the Deputy asked succinctly was "Why". The reason was that the Government had not met. We had to meet regarding this matter, yet the question was taken despite the fact that the Government indicated that morning that it had to meet to consider the judgment. The Chief Whip was in the best position to explain the position, having been the person who was responsible for dealing with the moving of writs, which was the basis upon which the question was being asked. The insistence by Deputies on tabling a question before the Government had an opportunity to meet in order to find out what its view was on a High Court judgment, which was given that morning and which it had not yet had an opportunity to read or consider, has its own illogicality.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Was it not the case that on the one hand the Minister, Deputy Gormley, did not have the backbone to come here and face the issue and, equally, the Taoiseach did not have the confidence in him to take the issue because of the earlier pronouncements on the very same matter-----

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have spent an inordinate amount of time on this matter

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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-----on the plinth by members of the Green Party some hours before the matter was addressed in the House and several hours before the supposed meeting at 5 p.m.?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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No, the Deputy is wrong on both counts. He can make all the assertions he likes but he is wrong on both counts. The point was that he asked what the Government's position was on a judgment that had issued that morning before it had an opportunity to meet. The idea that the Government, the Minister, Deputy Gormley, or anyone else could come in and tell the House what the Government's position was before it had met seems premature.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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It did not prevent him from speaking on the plinth outside.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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It did not prevent the Deputy from speaking on the plinth outside the Four Courts either.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Let us get real. He is supposed to be the colleague leader in the coalition Government.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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He is my colleague. He is a very good colleague.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach has confidence in him.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely, but I am making the point that the Deputy, in his exuberance, sought to come in here to demand of the Government what its position was before it had an opportunity to meet to discuss the issue. That was the problem the Deputy had and therefore the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach-----

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The problem was not of our making.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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-----was in a position to state specifically that while the Deputy was asking the question, the Government was about to meet. We cannot give an answer until we consider it. I do not know how Deputy Ó Caoláin's operation works, but that is the way it works in a democratic Government anyway.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The Government cannot be forced to take a decision. Those are the facts.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Ó Caoláin usually gets a directive what to say.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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A brief supplementary, Deputy Kehoe. We are over time on questions.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Ó Caoláin gets a script.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Dáil reform is one of the areas of responsibility for the Minister of State. The sub-committee on Dáil reform has not met since April of this year. Has the Taoiseach sought any updates on proposals for Dáil reform? It is something he has spoken about since he became Taoiseach. When can we expect proposals from the Taoiseach's side of the House because from both Labour and Fine Gael there has been a set of proposals put forward but they have not been listened to on any occasion?

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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On the same issue,-----

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Briefly, we are over time.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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The Dáil reform sub-committee of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges met on a number of occasions. The Government, or at least the Government representative, brought forward a proposal, as well as Fine Gael and Labour, but at the point where there might have been agreement the Taoiseach vetoed any further development on that and no further meetings have taken place.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Taoiseach did not want it.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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The former Government Whip, who is now a Minister, had to tell us that he could not proceed any further.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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The issue of Dáil reform is being addressed in questions further down the Order Paper. We will move on to the Order of Business.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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We have asked the Taoiseach a question.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Kehoe, the issue of Dáil-----

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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We have asked the Taoiseach.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Ceann Comhairle has made the point. There is a question on the matter and it is being dealt with by the Minister of State.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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We asked the Taoiseach a question on Question Time here and he should have the manners to reply to us.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Actually, as the Ceann Comhairle indicated, Deputy Kehoe asked the question after exceeding the time.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I did not put-----

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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He indicated then-----

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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-----my question to the Taoiseach, I asked a supplementary.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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No, but the Ceann Comhairle runs the House.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I directed my question-----

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Outside the time.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Kehoe, a question on Dáil reform should be-----

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Taoiseach to answer my question.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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There is a question tabled that will be answered.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I directed my question to the Ceann Comhairle. If the Taoiseach had manners in the House, maybe we could get a reply.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are moving on to the Order of Business.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Arrogance is what the Taoiseach and his Government has in its place.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Kehoe, please.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Complete arrogance.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call on the Taoiseach to announce the Order for today.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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I must have been right about that.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The party leader should have let the Deputy in sooner to ask the question, that was the problem.