Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

I offer congratulations to Deputy Brian Cowen on his elevation to Taoiseach, and to all the other Ministers who have been elevated to Cabinet positions in yesterday's re-shuffle. In the past four or five weeks we have seen many tributes and congratulations paid to taoisigh in waiting and taoisigh past. During the same period unemployment rates have risen and consumer confidence has collapsed. It is time for the House to get back to its proper business of looking after the people who elected us and whom we represent, by examining what is happening in the economy. Things are getting worse by the day. It is time for the serious debate we have demanded. We must invite the new Minister for Finance to the House as soon as possible.

It is also important to invite the new Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to the House. Yesterday the Morris report was published during a period of high activity surrounding the elevation of Deputy Brian Cowen to Taoiseach. The report is quite damning about what happened in County Donegal. The good, hardworking decent members of the Garda Síochána are sullied by having the same accusations levelled at them that are the due of that small minority who have so badly damaged the reputation of the force in that county. Without an open and transparent debate on that report this will continue to be the case. The way in which an attempt was made to bury the report yesterday was completely wrong. It is alien to the spirit of open and transparent government that we expect to have. We should debate the report in this House.