Ivana Bacik
Dublin Bay South · Labour Party · Ireland
“Just today I and other local representatives got an email from the owner of two restaurants in Dublin city centre about this issue. The Minister of State’s brief includes not only the circular economy but also small business.”
“The Bill Deputy Sherlock and the Labour Party are proposing is not one we suggest is a silver bullet or a panacea but it offers one small, constructive mechanism to address the dysfunction in waste services.”
“In Dublin Bay South we have superb Tidy Towns organisations that I am proud to work with from Ringsend and Sandymount across to Portobello in my area to Rathgar, Rathmines, Terenure, Donnybrook and Ballsbridge. We see really important work being done by Tidy Towns organisations.”
“The owner says he no longer has space to accommodate additional recycling bins, cannot leave recyclable waste out for collection and cannot leave flattened cardboard outside for collection. Private waste companies must send a vehicle to collect this directly from premises. This is costly, inefficient and unnecessary.”
“I do not mean just in Dublin, though Deputy Sherlock and I are focusing on Dublin and most of the TDs present are Dublin ones, as clearly this has ramifications across the country and the dissatisfaction and the concerns Deputy Sherlock’s constituents and mine are expressing are ones felt across the board.”
“We want to see a move, as Deputy Sherlock has it in the Bill, from competition in the market to competition for the market and this Bill would represent an important positive step on that journey to quality public services provided by the State and to remunicipalisation. Deputy Sherlock has set out the detailed provisions in the Bill.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,196 lines we hold for Ivana Bacik, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 21 of 24.
“We have seen other schemes in other European countries that can be adapted for particular sectors that are at risk. On Friday, however, the Taoiseach refused to endorse a short-term work scheme. The Minister for Finance spoke in similarly negative terms on Sunday. I think the Tánaiste was a little more open to the prospect of such a scheme more recently. We need to hear from the Government that it is at least considering the prospect of that sort of scheme to support people staying in their jobs and to help to keep businesses afloat.”
“It is clear that the big hope is that there will be a negotiation pathway open. It is interesting to see the EU already saying it had previously offered to remove all tariff barriers on industrial goods and to buy more LNG from the US, but those offers were met by what was really a non-response from the US. There is a question about the extent to which there will be a response from the US. Clearly, Trump is looking for major concessions but even with those concessions it is not clear that there will be any move. Therefore, it is important for those here who are desperately worried about the potential impact down the line on their jobs, livelihoods, businesses and farms that there is some indication that the Government is now considering the measures being put in place to offer supports.”
“We are talking about a targeted programme, not the broad wage subsidy scheme we had during the pandemic but, rather, a more targeted scheme to address the real impact of tariffs potentially in particular sectors. Germany has a gold standard in the Kurzarbeit scheme. The Labour Party has been calling for such a scheme to be introduced for some time. Is the Taoiseach ruling out such a scheme or will he consider it? What reassurances can he offer those who are facing that dread prospect of potential job losses or layoffs?”
“I thank the Taoiseach for offering a briefing with Opposition leaders later this week where I hope we will hear more about the Government's negotiating brief and how to avert the worst impact of the tariffs. There are, however, urgent questions today. Workers are facing the dreaded prospect of job losses. We are hearing already from employers, particularly in medtech and other export sectors, that contracts are being paused or cancelled due to uncertainty and that what employers and workers need is a short-term, State-backed work support scheme. Both the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, and IBEC have called for such a scheme to be put in place. ICTU has also called for sectoral industry task forces to help manage the disruption.”
“Trump’s top trade adviser Peter Navarro made clear in the Financial Times yesterday that they are aiming for what they call non-tariff weapons, including EU regulations and taxes like VAT, data localisation rules and what they call "lawfare" that they allege targets US tech companies. Navarro singled out EU rules on hormone-treated meat from the US and genetically modified crops. Can the Taoiseach offer any assurance to Irish businesses, farmers, workers and consumers in light of this imminent and ongoing threat? We know the Tánaiste will fly today to meet with Trump’s Secretary of Commerce and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is already is in the US.”
“These so-called reciprocal tariffs, apparently drawn up on the back of a napkin, have already created massive global uncertainty and are putting entire national economies at risk across the world. The full impact will not become clear for some time. At global level, the tit for tat has started with China and the EU will later today announce a response to the 25% steel tariffs. It is welcome to hear that whiskey, wine and dairy products will be left out to protect EU, and indeed our own, alcohol and food exports from further reprisals but the likelihood is that once the EU package is announced, Trump will hit back with more tariffs. What is becoming clear is that this is not just about tariffs or customs barriers.”
“All of us send our thoughts to the families of the children whose spinal surgery was investigated by HIQA in the report. The Taoiseach has just articulated how appalling the findings are in respect of those children. It is deeply concerning to see them. The chair of the board of CHI has resigned so things are moving very swiftly. I ask for a proper debate on this in the House this week because it is such a serious matter. I express our thoughts with our colleague, Deputy Boyd Barrett, and wish him well in his treatment for cancer over the coming. Richard spoke very movingly and bravely about his diagnosis and treatment. Already, less than a week after the Rose Garden announcement, we are seeing the potentially catastrophic effect of Trump's tariffs.”
“I spoke to a principal in Dublin this week who told me about her absolute frustration at the waiting list she has to face because so many children in her area are without places and so few places are available. I have heard of other principals who are knowingly oversubscribing their schools simply because the parents pleading with them are so desperate. On the previous occasion on which we spoke, the Taoiseach said he was working to see if places could be ensured for children next September. On World Autism Day, we need a clear commitment that this September there will be places available for every child who needs one.”
“I thank the Taoiseach for the comprehensive response and for making clear that measures are being put in place to ensure that future planning will be improved upon. There is still serious frustration and doubt about whether children will secure the places they need this September. School principals are expressing this concern to all of us. I recently heard from a school principal who told me parents are now enrolling their children in mainstream classes where they hear that a school has secured planning permission for special classes which have not yet been built. Parents are so desperate for places that their best hope is in classrooms that currently only exist in plans.”
“The time has come for the Department of the Taoiseach to get involved and for a whole-of-government approach to be taken, a co-ordinated approach that would ensure that the Department of Education and NCSE have the information they need to enable them to carry out the planning needed for every child to get a school place this September. Children with additional needs and their parents are asking when they will see their right to education vindicated.”
“She wrote that "the Rage isn’t helpful, but I suspect I cling to it in preference to The Fear, which tearfully crops up on a regular basis when I think about the future." Sadly, her feelings are warranted because so many children cannot get a diagnosis, cannot access a school place or therapies and are not supported at the later stage of the transition from primary to secondary school. Many young adults with additional needs fall off the radar completely. Where is the wraparound support? Another parent told me that all she wants is a fair shot for her son. As legislators, our job is to act. Parents sleeping out tonight do not want platitudes. They want action and to see that the issue is being taken seriously.”
“Childhood is short and the consequences of receiving inappropriate schooling or no schooling are very significant for a child. Children who are being failed today do not have the luxury of time yet the Government is slow to even get to grips with the scale of failure. Every day, all of us, including myself, hear from parents who are at the end of their tether. I read the moving words of one such parent in today's Irish Independent . Chrissie Russell is the mother of Finn. She wrote about the rage she feels at the ways in which her autistic son has been failed.”
“Following its initial protest, the group met with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the National Council for Special Education. I acknowledge that everyone in Government and across this House wants to see a school place offered to every child with additional needs in September. However, parents remain deeply frustrated because the Government appears incapable of guaranteeing that such a place will be provided. The last time I raised this issue, the Taoiseach told me the Government would do all it could to work towards providing a place for every child but the NCSE does not even know how many children are without a school place or how many places will be needed. It is therefore understandable that parents are frustrated.”
“The chilling footage and grim images of children killed and wounded in Gaza shared by Dr. Morgan McMonagle on last night's "Prime Time" will stay with anyone who saw them for a very long time. I commend Dr. McMonagle on sharing those images and that chilling footage with us. I will ask the Taoiseach about an issue affecting children and young people here in Ireland, the crisis in special education. Equality in Education, a group of parents who cannot access suitable school places for their children, will stage a second overnight sleep-out tonight in protest at the ways in which the State has failed their families. A few weeks ago, these parents slept outside the Department of Education on Marlborough Street. Today, on World Autism Day, they will bring their protest to our door here at Leinster House.”
“This will be the lasting legacy of Micheál Martin on Dáil reform: a noxious environment in the Chamber; a breakdown in relationships; and two fingers from Michael Lowry. The well of goodwill has been well and truly poisoned and all efforts to reach a resolution in good faith were rebuffed by Government. This is a mess of the Government's making.”
“Under Standing Orders, she must apply the rules in an impartial and fair manner but last Tuesday, she deemed the Order of Business passed without a vote, despite clear objections from Opposition benches. In other words, she caused business to be carried out without a legitimate democratic basis and went on to ensure that the Standing Order change was rammed through in a highly contested process. For that reason, and with deep regret, the Labour Party now considers her position is no longer tenable. That is why we signed the amendment to this motion and why we will vote accordingly. As democrats, once that vote is held, we will of course accept its outcome. The Government may win the vote but we have won the argument. People see through this farce. The responsibility for that lies with the Government.”
“Other parties have their own histories, but I am proud to lead a party that has, for more than a century, worked to uphold the highest standards in public office. We have an unbroken record of holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards. The Taoiseach cannot say the same of his own party. When it comes to ethics, it is not the Labour Party that has negotiated a deal with a convicted offender who has been named by a tribunal as "profoundly corrupt". Members of Lowry’s own group will not even sit beside him, but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will stop at nothing to defend him and his deal. Regrettably, the Ceann Comhairle's office has been drawn into this. The Ceann Comhairle should enjoy bipartisan support.”
“Let me remind him that, in 2016, after the February general election, he made Dáil reform a condition of Government formation, saying there should be a "Major limit on [the] ability of government to control all business on an ongoing basis." At the time, Fianna Fáil produced a paper on Dáil reform stating: "freeing the Oireachtas from the absolute control of government is the single most important reform which is required." How things have changed. What has the Taoiseach done? He has got a secret deal with the Lowry group and all these great principles have gone out the window. He has overturned decades of parliamentary precedent and created a noxious environment. The Taoiseach wants to attack the Labour Party because we happen to agree with all the other parties in opposition on this issue. This attack is unwarranted.”
“Other Members' Questions is being introduced at the expense of Taoiseach's Questions on a Wednesday, a slot that is now, as we saw today, being used by backbenchers lobbying for a junior Ministry who are queueing up to tell the Taoiseach how great he is and what a great job he is doing. The Taoiseach has changed his view on Dáil reform. He went through some selective memories about the Labour Party.”
“-----would certainly be a lot more critical of Ministers than we are likely to see tomorrow. Finally, we saw the Government and Ceann Comhairle ramming through changes last week in a way that was simply not acceptable. The attitude of the Taoiseach throughout this saga has been deeply frustrating. He has become increasingly tetchy in patronising Opposition leaders, accusing us of subverting democracy and, today, even of being arsonists. He gets deeply offended if we question his motivations and insists this is about a change to benefit Government backbenchers and give them more speaking time, but the reality is Government backbenchers will lose out.”
“First, we see an unacceptable outcome, where the Lowry lads and lassie are now to be regarded as being on both sides of the fence, in a cynical manner occupying both Government and Opposition benches and, in some cases, moving to and fro among benches. Second, the Government sought to create this shame set piece. We will see it tomorrow in the new Other Members’ Questions slot, which is a sort of theatrical Government TDs’ parliamentary party meeting in public. A parliamentary party meeting in private-----”
“The Taoiseach has left the Chamber, but he will recall that I approached him and the Tánaiste very early on in the process, directly here in the Chamber, seeking to find a resolution. This was rejected by both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste initially. I am glad that all the leaders of all the parties then came together. We reached an agreement in good faith, which was read into the Dáil record by the former Government Chief Whip, Hildegarde Naughton. It stated that the Government would work to secure agreement on this matter acceptable to Government and Opposition. Who reneged on that deal? It was not the Labour Party or any other Opposition party. It was the Government. A number of concerns arise as a result of the ramming through of the change to Standing Orders that the Government insisted on proposing.”
“Throughout my career, I have been proud to work constructively and collaboratively. That is what Labour Party activists do in the Dáil, the Seanad and the European Parliament, and on our councils and in our communities. We use our voices to raise the issues that matter on housing, healthcare, climate, jobs and the cost of living. On the eve of Trump’s tariffs and with the threat of a global Trump slump, this is a time to work constructively to address these issues. I am glad we have been able to do that over the past few weeks but undoubtedly much attention has been focused on the ludicrous Lowry affair. Regrettably, it has culminated in the dragging into the picture of the Ceann Comhairle’s office. We in Labour worked hard to find a resolution to this from the start.”
“The office of Ceann Comhairle has been dragged into a mess of the Government’s making. The Ceann Comhairle's position has become untenable because of a deal between the Government and Michael Lowry and his group. The big question is why. Why is the Government willing to go to such lengths to facilitate Mr. Lowry? Why does it insist that someone can be in government and in opposition at the same time, all for Mr. Lowry? None of us knows why. Mr. Lowry is certainly not saying. He is showing everyone the two fingers. None of us knows what is in the secret, grubby deal the Government negotiated with Michael Lowry, but we know it included the very office of Ceann Comhairle, so here we are at this impasse. This is the last thing any of us in the Labour Party wanted.”
“Finally, we have been seeking a response from the Taoiseach to a parliamentary question on the use of encrypted apps within his Department and other Departments. Are there guidelines in Departments on the use of apps like WhatsApp and Signal for the sharing of confidential information? Clearly, we have seen a real concern about that in the US. Can the Taoiseach say if he or, indeed, Government advisers use WhatsApp for co-ordinating their work?”
“I certainly welcome the committee being established but we need to see the publication of the national security strategy. I have been raising this with the Taoiseach and his predecessors for some time. I also raised as long ago as December 2022 the need for briefings for Opposition leaders on national security matters. That was in the context of the HSE cyberattack, the presence of Russian ships in our economic zone and serious concerns about Russian spy assets in Ireland and activity of organised crime in Ireland. There is a serious lack of democratic oversight of national security, and we should be provided with briefings in opposition, as is standard in other countries, particularly if overseas actors are seeking to undermine our democratic system.”
“In the UK, there is Flood Re, a reinsurance scheme to promote affordability and availability of insurance for British households that are at a higher risk of flooding. This is a very serious issue in my own constituency, particularly in coastal communities around Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount where it can be very difficult for households to get flood insurance even where there are flood defences in place. I know we are not the only constituency affected. Will the Government act to introduce a similar reinsurance scheme to offer protections for households and businesses that are really concerned about the likely impact of future flooding?”
“We have spoken in this Chamber before about the significant delays in the Government's response to the scale of Storm Éowyn. With climate change, there are likely to be stronger storms in future. We need preparations. Some years ago, after flash floods in Louth, the then Minister, Simon Coveney, committed to putting business flood relief schemes on a permanent statutory footing. I believe that is the Government's plan. With Storm Éowyn, however, we saw that, while the Department of Social Protection can activate its humanitarian assistance scheme very quickly, it can take longer to source supports for community groups and small businesses. That must be addressed. There is a further key problem in that, even where flood defences are put in place, many insurers continue to refuse to offer flood protection to homes and businesses.”
“However, we need to ensure that our aid budgets remain robust. I ask for a commitment from the Taoiseach at this very worrying time.”
“It feels like every day we are seeing more horror around the world. At the weekend, we saw the appalling earthquake and loss of life in Myanmar. There is also the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians by Israel in Gaza and the continued bombardment of Ukraine by Russia. At this time, it is particularly concerning to see the rowing back across the world of aid programmes, with UNRWA under attack and, of course, with Donald Trump's cuts to USAID, which are triggering a global public health crisis. Even our nearest neighbour, Britain, is winding down aid budgets. How is the Government going to act to stem this growing trend? Can the Taoiseach provide a commitment that Irish Aid programmes will continue to be funded in an effective manner? We are all conscious that job losses are imminent in Irish Aid organisations as result of the USAID cuts.”
“Our ObairGhearr scheme could be transformational. It could have made a very significant difference during the previous recession. It would have enabled us to hold onto more of our construction workers. That would have meant we could have delivered more homes. We might even have been able to deliver 40,000 homes last year had we enabled construction workers to stay in Ireland via a subsidised scheme such as we have seen in Germany. Will the Taoiseach review our scheme and look at it as a potential way to help households?”
“All of us in this House agree that the tariffs Trump is proposing are bad for the worldwide economy. Indeed, we could be facing an international "Trump slump", as it has been described. The fear of tariffs itself is having a destabilising effect across Ireland and across Europe. We all appreciate that the EU has to respond in a strategic manner to whatever comes forward from the US tomorrow, but equally, we have to control the controllables here at home. The Minister for Finance has pointed out the need to invest in infrastructure, an acknowledgement that, as is widely accepted, we simply do not have the critical public infrastructure that should be in place at this point in time. I refer to housing in particular. We all know that is the biggest crisis facing the Government. This is why Labour is offering a constructive proposal.”
“Will the Taoiseach commit to looking at our proposals for this short-term working scheme and give us a commitment that the Government will respond to Trump's tariffs tomorrow with effective, targeted measures to protect not only businesses but also families and struggling households?”
“We have welcomed the index-linking of welfare payments - that is very good to see - but now is the time to prepare for potential job losses. Since the pandemic, we in Labour have been calling for a State-backed short-term wage subsidy scheme to protect workers during periods of uncertainty. It would work like the employment wage subsidy scheme, which was introduced during the pandemic. Such schemes have long been in place in countries such as Germany. We have termed our scheme the ObairGhearr scheme. It would subsidise employees to work shorter hours when companies encounter difficulties and provide access to upskilling programmes. It is a vital type of model to protect workers' dignity and the livelihoods of families and households.”
“Affordable housing, decent public transport, universal childcare, fit-for-purpose healthcare and clean energy supplies are what we should have in place here in Ireland, given the budgetary figures we have had. Instead, the Government has favoured one-off measures in recent budgets. It gave a few quid off skyrocketing electricity bills and a tiny amount towards spiralling rents but nothing meaningful for those who are in such great need in a housing and a cost-of-living crisis. This is crunch time. Will the Taoiseach indicate that the Government's response to tariffs will prioritise public investment and targeted measures to help those who need them most? Will the Government act to safeguard jobs and livelihoods?”
“We know that a significant fall in exports to the US could mean significant job losses here and we know how reliant the Exchequer is on corporation tax, a disproportionate amount of which is from the profits of US multinationals. The place we find ourselves in today reflects the risks that the Taoiseach's party and Fine Gael have taken with the economy - first, in failing to diversify our economic base. Our economic model has clearly become over-reliant on a very small number of big American corporations and that is widely acknowledged as a risk. Second, there is a serious risk to our economy because the Government has contrived to waste what has undoubtedly been a boom. Our eye-watering corporation tax gains have been squandered because the Government did not use the money to invest in the sustainable infrastructure we so badly need.”
“This April Fool's Day we are bracing ourselves for the impact of the most foolish April Fool of them all. I am talking, of course, about Trump's tariffs, the scale and scope of which we will learn tomorrow. Not content with damaging his own economy, he has now got his sights set on ours too. Reportedly, even within his own administration, there is no knowing yet what exactly he has planned. Indeed, he may not even know himself. In that context, I was glad that the Tánaiste responded positively to my request in scheduling a briefing last week for Opposition leaders to hear from officials in his Department about the likely impact of tariffs. I thank the Tánaiste and his officials for what was a comprehensive, but deeply worrying, briefing. Clearly, we cannot take the threat of tariffs seriously enough.”
“Can he brief the House on this, particularly next week once we see this deadline in place? Have he and the Tánaiste plans to engage further with Commissioner Šefčovič or indeed with the US officials on this?”
“Yesterday afternoon Deputy Nash and I attended a briefing on tariffs and trade with senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs. It was also attended by other Opposition Deputies. I thank the Minister and Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, for setting up that briefing at my request. I had asked him last week that it would be set up. We are all very conscious that we are facing a particular crunch point next week with the prospect of US tariffs. There is deep concern around the country about the impact they are likely to have on jobs, the economy and the prospects for achieving the necessary change in terms of housing construction and investment in public services. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, spoke about this on the radio quite candidly recently. What contingency planning is the Taoiseach doing at Government level?”
“The second is the Deputy’s attitude to people, whether she likes them or disagrees with them, who are elected TDs, particularly newly elected TDs, such as Deputy Toole and Heneghan. The manner in which Deputy Bacik has addressed them, the names the Deputy is using-----”
“I hope the Ceann Comhairle will call on him to apologise, but what happened yesterday was a farce of the Taoiseach’s making.”
“That is what we have always been about. I am proud to lead our party. We parrot nobody. Yesterday’s events in the Dáil were unprecedented. We witnessed what happened. We are deeply regretful that the Ceann Comhairle’s office was dragged into this. It is with great regret that I expressed the view that the Ceann Comhairle’s position is untenable but let us be clear that this is a mess of the Government’s making, and the Taoiseach in collusion with Michael Lowry. I agree with the Taoiseach on one thing. It was deeply wrong of a Deputy, of Michael Lowry, to give two fingers in the national Parliament. It was deeply wrong and deeply disrespectful. The Taoiseach said it was wrong. I hope the Taoiseach will call on him to apologise.”
“A Cheann Comhairle, you have a duty to apply the rules fairly and impartially under Standing Orders. I deeply regret to say after what we saw yesterday that I do not believe you applied the rules in that matter. That is why this morning, together with my parliamentary party, we agreed to ask you to reflect on your position over the coming days. If necessary, we will have no option but to table a motion of no confidence in you.”
“Instead of respecting the Opposition's constitutional duty to hold the Government to account, and instead of honouring that agreement to make a compromise, an agreement that was made in good faith, the Taoiseach arrogantly ploughed on. He has undermined basic standards of parliamentary accountability. This affair has tarnished the Taoiseach and his Government, and now it has tarnished the office of Ceann Comhairle. A Cheann Comhairle, yesterday you deemed the Order of Business passed, despite resounding calls of dissent from the Opposition benches. Without any legitimate democratic basis, you deemed that passed. You did so apparently as part of a prearranged set-up orchestrated with the Government.”
“We want to use our voices in the Dáil to represent our communities, to raise the issues that matter to the communities we represent, who are concerned about the housing crisis, the climate catastrophe, disability rights, Trump's threatened tariffs, yes, and of course hideous global conflict. These are the matters we should all be focusing on. That is why we in the Labour Party worked hard over recent weeks, with others, to try to achieve a resolution and to avoid the farce that unfolded yesterday. We tried to work with the Taoiseach and his Fine Gael colleagues to secure a resolution that would be agreeable to Government and Opposition TDs. Indeed, that was in the terms of the agreement made and read out by Hildegarde Naughton in this House on 23 January.”
“In every sense, two fingers have been shown to the Opposition and to the people of this country, because as of yesterday a fundamental principle has been subverted. That is the simple truth that you cannot be in government and in opposition at the same time. The Taoiseach subverted that fundamental principle of the separation of powers. What happened yesterday is a disgrace. Throughout my career, I have been proud to work constructively and collaboratively across party lines. My colleagues here beside me on the Labour Party benches are the same. This is the Labour Party that I lead.”
“What happened in the Dáil yesterday is without precedent. Yesterday, the Taoiseach and his Government rammed through a scheme to create a sort of new sham Opposition. Let us be clear: the so-called "Other Members' Questions" is a contrivance manufactured purely to placate the Lowry lobby. The regional Independent group, led by Deputy Michael Lowry, is patently stitched into this Government. It helped to construct the programme for Government and some of its members are now Ministers of State. However, it now seems they are to be designated as Opposition in all but name. What does that mean? It means the Standing Orders of our national Parliament have been rearranged in the service of cute hoorism, a grubby stroke driven by the Taoiseach and his Government.”
“They will not be able to dominate Taoiseach's questions any longer, because he has used this row to give himself Wednesday afternoons off, slashing that slot to carve out time for the Lowry gang. This is the indefensible. It is manufacturing a sham Opposition. We all know what this is really about.”
“The only manufacturing going on is the Taoiseach seeking to manufacture a sham Opposition, pretending that this is about speaking rights for Government backbenchers. He knows it is not. Everyone in the country knows it is not because all Government backbenchers, including those in the Lowry group, have privileged access to Government Ministers and they already have speaking time. I feel sorry for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers. Very few of them have been out defending the indefensible on the airwaves because they know they have speaking time already. They know they have in Questions on Policy or Legislation and Taoiseach's Questions. The Government's proposal will make them lose out too.”
“To describe Lowry's group as wolves in sheep's clothing would give them too much credit, but they are a very poor tribute act - a poor imitation of those of us who are genuinely in opposition and taking our constitutional duties seriously. The Taoiseach knows, as does everyone, that the manufactured, nonsensical "other Members' questions" device is really being introduced to give the Lowry lads and Deputy Toole special time to tell the Government how well it is doing. The Taoiseach knows it. Everyone in the country knows it. This is the group that has undertaken to support the Government in good times and bad. The Ceann Comhairle has ruled that they are not in opposition. Let us respect her ruling.”