Results 10,281-10,300 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: All of those are agreed to be accelerated and, we have been assured, they will be accompanied in many cases by more free votes in the coming years of this Government.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: This is welcome. I wish to address some of the issues raised by Fianna Fáil and by Deputy Troy with his interruptions - not his contribution because his interruptions are always far better than his contributions.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: In particular, I would like-----

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: I wish to address the issue on which he has been interrupting all evening, which is the issue of Stepaside Garda station. I thank Deputy Troy for the opening. Let me address that for him to satisfy him a bit. Deputy Troy is right that I campaigned for the opening of Stepaside Garda station.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: He is right that it was part of my platform at the last election. He is right that I have campaigned for it since I came into government.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Let me say one thing. When I was negotiating on the programme for Government on this particular issue, does Deputy Troy know who the biggest pushover on the issue of Stepaside Garda station was? It was Deputy Micheál Martin.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: I went to him first and I asked if he would give us Stepaside Garda station and he said: "No problem, it's over. It's your's."

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: -----and today he has come back and said it was a pork barrel deal. He was offering pork barrel politics by the bejaysus at the time.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Do Members want to know what these guys over here said? They said, "No". They said, "We can't do it. We can't pull it because we can't interfere with the workings of Government", but the Fianna Fáil guys were fine. Deputy Micheál Martin was the guy who went up to Stepaside during the previous general election-----

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: -----and he said on television - it was recorded - when he was asked if he could reopen Stepaside Garda station that it would definitely be reopened. Today he is saying it is a pork barrel deal and he disapproves of it. Come on.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Come on, Deputy Troy.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Let me say this, if there is another opportunity-----

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: No, I will not. I am sorry.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: When I next come to negotiate a programme for Government, I can assure the House that I will be looking over there to Fianna Fáil for the pork barrel deals, because I cannot get them out of these guys but Fianna Fáil is a pushover.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Let me address something else.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: In silence. The issue was addressed again by Deputy Micheál Martin this evening. He said that there was some trade-off between Máire Whelan's appointment and the Stepaside Garda station.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Let me tell him something.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Let me tell him something, without interruption.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Yes, that is correct.

Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government (14 Jun 2017)

Shane Ross: Let me tell the Deputy this. I have to clarify this issue as it is important. I learned first about Máire Whelan's proposed appointment yesterday morning. When I learned about it, there was no conversation about Stepaside Garda station. There has been no link of any sort between the two.