I want to again congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on winning the US presidential election. I extend to him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris my best wishes in meeting the challenges that will face the new administration. The President-elect is a long-standing friend of Ireland and has remained unequivocal in his support for the upholding of the Good Friday Agreement. He has consistently taken the position that the US will not allow an international agreement that brought peace to Ireland to become a casua…

Last Friday, I and my colleague, Deputy Doherty, launched Sinn Féin's discussion document on the economic benefits of a united Ireland. I have sent the Taoiseach a copy of our document and I hope that he and his officials within the shared island unit will consider the research and discussions contained within it. As the Taoiseach is aware from his recent engagements with various groups, academics, policymakers and opinion formers, the discussion on Irish unity is taking place right now. We published our discussion…

I am sure the Taoiseach will agree that the courage and resilience shown by the family of Pat Finucane in their battle with the British state is inspirational. Pat Finucane was killed in February 1989 by a UDA death squad working in collusion with RUC special branch, the British Army's force reconnaissance unit and the British state. For three decades, like so many others, the family have fought a formidable campaign seeking a public inquiry into Pat's killing. Despite incontrovertible evidence that British state a…

I thank the Taoiseach for that. From day one, as he knows, the British Government has resisted revealing the truth on the killing of Pat Finucane. In 2012, his wife, Geraldine, said: At every turn, dead witnesses have been blamed and defunct agencies found wanting. Serving personnel and active state departments appear to have been excused. The dirt has been swept under the carpet without any serious attempt to lift the lid on what really happened to Pat and so many others. I am sure that everyone in the Dáil hopes …

The criteria are all about process. One cannot have a process without them.

It does not.

Hear, hear.

Do your job, Taoiseach.

Not agreed. There are serious and pressing questions that need to be put to the Minister for Justice and clarified on the floor of the Dáil. The Taoiseach's overarching objective in the midst of all of this has been to evade, spoof and deny that accountability to the Dáil. The fact that the Minister will not make herself available to make a statement and take questions is shocking and unacceptable, but what is much worse is that the Taoiseach would facilitate that behaviour. The elected representatives here have no…

-----on the floor of the Dáil. It raises questions beyond the particular appointment and this particular scenario. It raises questions around what the Taoiseach might be trying to hide. More fundamentally, is this a manoeuvre by the Government to ensure that accountability will be stymied and stifled in every set of circumstances? It will not get away with that.

It is not smart or acceptable. The Opposition is united on this. I ask that the Minister for Justice present herself, make a statement and take questions. It is a straightforward request.

It is not funny.

The Taoiseach is deliberately misleading the House again.

Then why was the position held open until July?

No, they are not.

Rubbish.

We know that.

We are well aware of all that.

This is waffle, a Cheann Comhairle, and dangerous waffle.

Oh, you are some piece of work.