Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

He should not interrupt me as I am praising the Government. Having history as a core subject has been Fianna Fáil's policy because people learn from history. It does not repeat itself so much as it rhymes and one has to spot the mistakes of the past. On German reunification Bismark said: “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” If we can look back and find out where people made mistakes in the past, we can learn from them. The study of history is vital in that regard.

I refer to the Moorhead report on the terms and conditions of councillors. We have seen a reduction in public representation throughout the country. The Moorhead report is on the Minister's desk, but the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform does not want it to be published because it would have to take action on the results and the budget is coming up. I ask the Leader to ensure the report is released before the budget is announced and that its recommendations, if appropriate, are actioned.