Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

On the occasion of the last Private Members' business in the House, involving a motion from the Progressive Democrats about decentralisation, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, indicated to the House that everything was going according to plan as regards the timescale initially set out for that programme. On the very next day he was interviewed by RTE and clearly indicated that was not so. He stated that in the worst case scenario it will be the end of 2007 before the last Department decentralises. It was a terrible injustice to the Members of this House to change his mind the very next day and mislead them. I ask him as a matter of urgency to correct the record, either through the Leader or personally in the House. His statement was certainly a terrible rebuff to this House and its Members. He sat here and winked and nodded with regard to various statements that were made——