Shane Ross (Independent)

I am going to ask the Leader a question. The Green Party seems to stay on board. It was unhappy, so unhappy in November that it was going to force a general election in January. It was so unhappy last week that it was going to force a general election in March and so unhappy is it this morning that, presumably, it is going to come out and state it has examined its conscience and will allow the Government to go ahead and behave in this extraordinary way. I have never come across this situation before where any Minister who decides he or she will not stand in the next general election immediately hands in his or her resignation and there is a mass exodus when new people are put into office. I cannot understand this and the only explanation I can see is that the Government is disintegrating before our eyes, supported by an utterly lame coalition partner. No other coalition partner has ever behaved in this way-----