Mary Butler

The Deputy might get away with shouting at people all of his life, but I am here to answer.

No, I am not.

This is not a point of order, a Chathaoirligh.

A Chathaoirligh, please chair the meeting. This is not a point of order. I know the rules of this House.

If they want me to answer I will answer, or they can talk down the clock, whichever they require.

I have heard what Deputy Doherty has said. He can try to undermine me all he likes, saying that he does not want a junior Minister standing opposite him. I am the Government Chief Whip at the Department of the Taoiseach. I am also Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for mental health and I attend Cabinet. I am well qualified to stand here. Deputy Doherty might not re…

There is precedent for this, as I said today on the Order of Business. I have been ten years in this House and for ten years, I have done Estimates, including four years as Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation from 2016 to 2020. I have done Supplementary Estimates for the past six years, including last Wednesday in relation to health. I know what Estimates are a…

No, those are just three examples I came with. I can find more if the Deputy likes. I have no problem looking back on things. The most important thing we should be here discussing are the Estimates, and many of the Deputies opposite chose not to discuss them.

The situation is very clear. The Supplementary Estimate for Vote 6 is purely technical in nature. The CSSO does not require additional funding in 2025; it just needs the permission of the House to move funding within its Vote. The Supplementary Estimate for Vote 2 is substantive but unavoidable. It arises solely due to the payment of additional third party costs related to the Moriarty tribunal o…

I must also stress that when finalising the 2025 Revised Estimate for the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation agreed that any additional third party cost falling due in 2025 would be funded by way of a Supplementary Estimate. It is important to note that the Department of the Taoiseach is otherwise within budge…

I regret that this did not prove possible. In particular, as I said, there is precedent for the Chief Whip-----

-----presenting requirements for Supplementary Estimates for Votes in the Vote group of the Department of the Taoiseach.

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh.

Shall I respond?

Shall I respond?

As regards the Moriarty tribunal, established in 1997, the spend to date is €77.948 million. I would have been quite happy to answer any questions if I was afforded the time to do so but the Deputies opposite chose not to do so. They chose to attack me and the Taoiseach.

I am sure all the paperwork has been circulated.

I was not aware that they had not got the briefs. I would have assumed-----

Yes, because it is time sensitive. I was prepared to go in last Thursday afternoon and I was informed-----

No, I did not. I was prepared to go in last Thursday afternoon and I was told around lunchtime on Thursday that the meeting was no longer going ahead and that the committee did not wish the Chief Whip to attend.

That is what I was told.

I was not aware of that during the committee.

A Chathaoirligh, the debate has concluded.

The debate has concluded.

The information that goes to any committee in relation to Estimates will be circulated.