Simon Harris

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. Let the people at home know that, in the next six weeks, there will be 90 priority questions to various Ministers. Sinn Féin will have 47, Labour will have 12, the Social Democrats will have 11 and those on the Government side will have none – zero. How is that fair? How is their democratic mandate lesser than that of Members of the Opposition? So, the reality is this-…

Let us deal with that also.

They are using my time. There is quite a bit I want to say on this. We have engaged extensively and we have also moved.

Sorry, but we did. The Deputy was not at the meetings; her leader was there. We have moved.

Not with me. We have moved. We had a position and we were willing to change it because, in fairness to the Opposition, it is important to listen. We did not go ahead with the proposal that would have seen Opposition questions during Leaders' Questions eaten into. Under these proposals, the Members opposite all get the exact same amount of time for questions to leaders. That is not their problem; …

We live in a parliamentary democracy in which the mandate of everybody, in government and opposition, counts. In so many parliamentary democracies, including the one just across the water, of course government Members of Parliament can ask the head or deputy head of government questions. That happens in PMQs in the House of Commons every single week. So, enough of the hyperbole.

We have lots of hyperbole.

I have answered the question. We have had meetings, for dozens upon dozens of hours. We had a democratic vote in this Parliament of the people's representatives and now we intend to get on with the people's business. Deputy Carthy raised the issues of trade and tariffs. What he has done in opposition today is utterly childish. At a time when it has never been more important for Ministers to go ab…

I will deal with that now in a moment.

Yes, it does.

Is that a threat?

I will do my best. Deputy Carthy talks about the Moriarty tribunal. I fully accept the findings of the Moriarty tribunal and my party voted in favour of setting it up. However, we do not have to look back 20 or 30 years to find issues in respect of fundraising when we look at the Deputy's party. We only had to read the Sunday Independent last week.

Deputy Carthy asked me if I have ever asked somebody a question. Did he ever ask a former councillor in his own constituency,-----

-----former Sinn Féin Councillor Owen Smyth, what he meant when he talked about Billy Hampton, the man who left a rural cottage to Sinn Féin? Does the Deputy remember the €99,000 for the derelict cottage from the reclusive English millionaire? The former councillor in Deputy Carthy's constituency said that the money bequeathed to Sinn Féin by Hampton-----

-----was "a lot sweeter" than the Northern Bank robbery money.

When you put it in context, it is "a lot sweeter" than something like the Northern Bank-----

It was legitimate, it was straightforward and it was handled properly. There was no comeback. I am being shouted down in this democratic Parliament by people who are engaging in-----

I am being shouted down. I know the Deputy is a bit sensitive this week. He must be the first justice spokesperson-----

-----to ever stand by the graveside of somebody who was involved in the murder of an Irish soldier and a recruit member of the Garda Síochána.

That is someone you call a patriot. Shame on you.

Well-----

I thank the Deputy. First, the Deputy referred to "ramming through". A lot of phrases are being used here. The Opposition has been spending more time talking about speaking rights than any other issue in this Dáil. Anybody watching in at home does not believe this is being rammed through. There have been dozens upon dozens upon dozens of hours of meetings in relation to this. Now it is time to mak…

-----come in here and exercise their vote "Tá" or "Níl".

Sorry, the arrogance of the Deputy on this issue.

The Deputy says we have no mandate but these people have a mandate. The Deputy has just shouted across the floor of the Dáil, in case people at home missed it, "No mandate". Ceann Comhairle, everybody has a mandate.