Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I extend my sympathy to Senator Kelly and his family on the death of his father.

Can the Leader say how the Taoiseach can tell the Dáil and the rest of us to have confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality when it is clear from his actions he has no confidence in him? When the going got tough he stepped in and instructed an official from the Department to visit the Garda Commissioner, essentially to sack him. The Taoiseach met the Attorney General to discuss the unprecedented revelation of Garda recording of telephone conversations. All of this happened over the Minister’s head. The Taoiseach seems to be a one-man Cabinet, chairman, Minister and chief executioner. Who knows his extraordinary powers? I do not think these powers were envisaged when the Constitution was drawn up. We are certainly in grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented, GUBU, territory when the Attorney General is afraid to speak to the Taoiseach over the phone for fear of bugging. By whom?