Public Procurement Contracts Dail Éireann — 2023-01-19 ============================================================ Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West There is no way that we can have business as usual here today in relation to our questions when we look at what has happened over the last number of days and the scandal the Minister has been embroiled in. The Minister has failed to clarify matters in relation to this scandal. There are a number of outstanding questions that I want to put to him today because he failed to answer questions yesterday in the Dáil. Who, in 2017, brought to his attention that a company van was used in 2016? Catherine Connolly (CC), Galway West Deputy----- Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West What action did the Minister take and at what value did he calculate that work? Catherine Connolly (CC), Galway West Thank you, Deputy. We are on Priority Questions here----- Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West I said from the outset that there is no way we can go back to business as usual when the Minister is refusing to answer questions. The Minister now has an opportunity to answer those questions. Indeed, he has an hour and a half in which to answer questions. He should use that time to answer. Catherine Connolly (CC), Galway West Deputy, please take your seat. Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West I am asking questions of the Minister and I ask that he answer them. Catherine Connolly (CC), Galway West Deputy, could you resume your seat pleas? Your 30 seconds are up. Let me clarify something here. I was actually due to hand over the Chair but was just starting on questions. Unless something has changed, unknown to me, we are taking questions nominated for priority and the first is Question No. 106. Are you dealing with that, Minister? Paschal Donohoe (FG), Dublin Central Yes, I will deal with the question. Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West Everything has changed. We need answers to these questions----- Paschal Donohoe (FG), Dublin Central I will deal with that question but I also want to say that I do plan to make a further statement in relation to issues involving the 2016 general election campaign and matters that were put to me last night. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Deputy Mairéad Farrell to respond. Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West I have asked a number of questions but I have not received a response. This is the perfect opportunity. It is the Minister's first set of ministerial questions as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and his first parliamentary questions this year. This is the perfect opportunity. The Minister knows the answers to these questions. He can give us the answers to these questions. I do not understand the view that it would be beneficial for him not to answer these questions here today. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Deputy Farrell, I called you for the question. Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West I have listed a few and I ask the Minister to answer them. Ged Nash (LAB), Louth On a point of order----- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal One moment. Deputy Farrell, I called you for the question that is on the Order Paper. Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West Does the Acting Chairman understand that I have already had my first 30 seconds and this is now my second contribution? The Minister had come in and I have asked the Minister to----- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal The Minister responded and it is now up to the Deputy to come back and----- Mairéad Farrell (SF), Galway West Yes, and I have asked the Minister to answer the questions but he has not done so. I can give him a whole range of questions. The reality is that the Minister has the answers to these questions and he has the opportunity in this Dáil to answer them. We are dealing with ministerial questions to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. There are questions to be answered. The Minister refused to do it yesterday and he has the perfect opportunity to do it today so why does he not do so? Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Deputy Nash, did you want to raise a point of order? Please make sure it is a point of order. Ged Nash (LAB), Louth The Minister has said he will make a further statement in relation to his 2016 statement to the Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO. When does he plan to do that? Has he made that request directly to the Ceann Comhairle? Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Thank you, Deputy. That is not a point of order. Take your seat, please. Ged Nash (LAB), Louth It is a point of order. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal It is not. Ged Nash (LAB), Louth If the Minister could clarify, it would be helpful to move this section of our business on. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal It might well be but it is not a point of order. Take your seat, please. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal On a point of order---- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Yes, Deputy. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal This is a point of order, as is the point made by Deputy Nash, in my view. If the order of this House is going to be changed to facilitate the Minister answering questions----- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal There is no question of the order being changed. That is not a matter for now, Deputy. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal With respect, a Minister of the Government has just announced that he is going to make a further statement. On a point of order, I want to know if the order of this House is going to be changed----- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal You can raise that with your Whip, I would imagine. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal I am raising it now because----- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal No, you can raise it with your Whip, Deputy. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal I am raising it now. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal We cannot change the order today. We cannot change the order at the moment----- Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal The Minister---- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal I cannot change the order. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal With respect, the Minister----- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal You cannot change the order. Therefore, it is not a point of order. Please take your seat. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal Actually, the Minister can change the order. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal The Minister cannot change the order. The House changes the order, as you will be very much aware, Deputy. It is not as if you are only here a wet week. Now, take your seat please so we can move on with the business of the day. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal With respect, the House has to have a proposal and that can only come from the Government. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal There is no proposal. Take your seat, please. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal I want clarification. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Take it up with your Whip, who can raise it with the other Whips at the Business Committee. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal The Minister has announced on the floor of the Dáil that he is going to make a further statement. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Take your seat, Deputy. I want to move on with the business of the day. There are important questions----- Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal A statement has been made and clarification is required. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal -----on the Order Paper. Take a seat please, Deputy. Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal This is unbelievable. Ged Nash (LAB), Louth The Minister did indicate that he was prepared to answer my question. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Deputy Nash, take your seat please. Ged Nash (LAB), Louth I refer to my direct question as to when he intends to make a statement and if he has made the request----- Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Deputy, take your seat please. It is entirely within the Minister's gift----- Ged Nash (LAB), Louth I have no doubt that the Minister would be happy to answer that very clear question. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Deputy, do not speak over me, please. It is entirely a matter for the Minister to respond, in the way in which he deems appropriate, to the question on the Order Paper. The question that is before us is No. 106. Deputy Farrell has responded to the Minister. Do you have anything further to add, Minister? Paschal Donohoe (FG), Dublin Central I just want to reiterate that I do intend to make a further statement to the House. I will do so at the earliest possible opportunity, at which point I will revert to the Ceann Comhairle. Alan Farrell (CC), Dublin Fingal Thank you very much. We will move on to Priority Question No. 107 in the name of Deputy Berry. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2023-01-19/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:51:28+00:00 Sitting date: 2023-01-19