Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If her head rules, she will want to spend the next two years as Tánaiste. If her heart is true - she has a decent heart - then she would bite the bullet and face the music of a general election instead of procrastinating and talking out of both sides of her mouth.

I want to raise the scrapping by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, and the Government of the advocacy services for deaf people. It is a mean-fisted act. This cut will affect a minority group, approximately 11,000 people, but it means a lot to them. Earlier this morning when I arrived at Leinster House at 9.15 a.m., a deaf person presented me with a leaflet setting out the circumstances and difficulties that will ensue because of this decision.

I will go further by proposing an amendment to the Order of Business, that the Minister in question, before he jets off to Brussels and forgets about this and the other House, comes to this House today to explain the reasoning behind this cut and commit to reinstate this paltry amount of money which meant so much to deaf people. It is important this matter is dealt with today.