John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I join with my colleagues who expressed their concerns about the Minister for Education and Science. Will the Leader ask the Taoiseach, in light of the comments he made following the revelations about the Minister for Education and Science and his activities in distributing these packs, whether an investigation is taking place to establish whether any other Ministers are doing the same for Government candidates in the local elections? The Taoiseach was right when he pointed out that what the Minister did was wrong, and I pay tribute to him in that regard. I want to be certain an investigation is taking place to ensure other Ministers are not doing the same.

Will the Leader arrange a debate as soon as possible on the Ombudsman's report? I did not catch the full gist of an interview with the Ombudsman on one of the national radio channels earlier today but it seemed to indicate a huge increase in the number of complaints against local authorities, particularly their planning sections. We should have a debate on the Ombudsman's findings as soon as possible.