I want to raise the issue—

What has Noel O'Hanlon got on the Government? He received the most expensive redundancy package in the history of the State.

He must support Fianna Fáil.

Deputy Sargent, without interruption.

I wish to deal with the issue of Cabinet cohesion and confidentiality, or lack of it. Even the Taoiseach's friends must be increasingly concerned at the disarray in Cabinet. The leaking from Cabinet is not dissimilar to the fate of the Prestige which, a year ago, went to the bottom of the sea and continues to leak to this day. We have had examples of action concerning leaks, particularly from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, who has forcefully threatened the Garda Síochána that it will have a considerable price to pay if its members leak information. What will the Taoiseach do to stop leaks from senior advisers and the Cabinet on matters such as the Aer Rianta report, where the Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, said considerable forces are working to undermine his plans to remove the State airports' monopoly?

Is the reaction to the Hanly report by the Minister for Defence, Deputy Michael Smith, an example of gross disobedience by a member of the Cabinet and a lack of Government accountability and cohesion? In a normal Government, would the position of the Minister for Defence not be untenable?

He has to go.

Does the Taoiseach believe that the words of the Minister for Defence in saying that Fianna Fáil plays second fiddle to no other party in its determination to look after the people of north Tipperary refer to the Minister's Fianna Fáil and not to the Fianna Fáil of the Hanly report? Which Government are we to take seriously in this regard? Is there a different Government working within Fianna Fáil? Is the smoking ban an example of this, with the Ministers, Deputies Walsh and Cullen, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Fahey, speaking from different policy platforms? The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, and the Tánaiste, Deputy Harney, have different views on the redress board and there are differences between the Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance on funding for Punchestown. Does the Taoiseach not have a serious job to do in investigating this matter?

It would be terrible if we all had the same view.

Uno duce, una voce.

Deputy Sargent, I ask you to conclude.

We are told there is Cabinet cohesion. Where is the Cabinet cohesion to be seen? Is it not the case that we need an investigation and that this should be carried out by the Taoiseach? When will he investigate the lack of cohesion?

We are not shrinking violets. We have our own views.

I am not sure which question the Deputy was really asking. He had not really got any so he asked a whole lot.

If the Taoiseach answered any one of them we would be happy.

The Deputy referred to the PricewaterhouseCoopers report on Aer Rianta. This was a report requested by Aer Rianta to assist it in this analysis. It is not a policy document and does not have policy conclusions. The memorandum for Government was leaked which, in the first instance, as I have said, will be investigated by the Secretary General of the Department. If the Secretary General feels it has to go further, then obviously it would be a matter for the Garda.

The Taoiseach should bring in the Garda.

From one sentence to the next we do not know if we can rely on what we are hearing. Is the Garda inquiring into the matter or not?

Is the Taoiseach going to investigate the matter?

I am outlining the procedure. Does the Deputy want the Garda to come in first? I know what the Deputy will say.

The Government has accepted in principle the core conclusions of the Hanly report that compliance with the European working time directive requires a consultant provided model of acute service delivery in place of the present largely non-consultant hospital doctor provided model. That is the main decision. A fundamental reorganisation in acute hospital services is required to provide a safe and high quality service for patients. The proposed changes must proceed in a way that safeguard the training element of the non-consultant hospital doctors' role and the reforms must be subject to achieving specific changes in non-consultant hospital doctor contracts. We approve the implementation of the report on the lines set out in the Hanly report taking geographics and demographics into consideration.

How will that affect Nenagh?

What will the Taoiseach do with the Minister for Defence?

Deputy Gormley, this is Deputy Sargent's question.

The Minister for Defence, Deputy Michael Smith, and every other Minister accepts that. In the discussion about demographics and geographics, people are entitled to put forward their views. The Minister for Defence, Deputy Michael Smith, totally accepts that.

The Taoiseach is so clear.

No Government could bring forward a report on which nobody is entitled to bring forward a view. Members here have no idea what Minister for Defence, Deputy Michael Smith, said on the night and what he said subsequently because they did not even listen to the reports. The Minister totally accepts the Hanly report.

What about collective Cabinet responsibility?

The Taoiseach should take a look at the Minister's face. He would not say that if he saw the look on the Minister's face.

This is Deputy Sargent's question and only he is entitled to ask a supplementary. I ask for ciúnas for the Taoiseach.

That is what would be called a scud.

Deputy Ryan, this is the question of your constituency colleague and out of courtesy I ask you to allow him alone to deal with it.

The Taoiseach is getting funny now.

The Defence Forces will be brought in to ring fence the hospital.

I hope all Members of the Opposition are as wholeheartedly in favour of implementing the Hanly report's recommendations as is the Minister for Defence, Deputy Michael Smith. I look forward to their support around the country.

Here we go again.

Deputy Sargent is entitled to the courtesy to ask his supplementary question.

We want to hear from sergeant Smith.

Deputy Ring, please let Deputy Sargent speak.

I got answers from the Taoiseach, but the Minister for Defence might have to answer for the answers the Taoiseach gave. Does the Cabinet have a collective responsibility any more?

Only geographically.

The Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, asked the leader of the Labour Party where he got the report. Is it not up to the Taoiseach to investigate that matter and answering that question? Is that not the Taoiseach's job? Will he investigate the leakage of the Aer Rianta report so that some belief in Cabinet confidentiality can be maintained? Will the Minister for Defence get an opportunity to make a statement on this matter? If we believe the Taoiseach, based on the impression from the newspapers, the Minister was telling big untruths in Tipperary and he does not have a problem with the Hanly report at all. However, the Minister said he did. Will the Taoiseach investigate what the Minister said and will the Taoiseach censure him if he said what he is reported to have said or will the Taoiseach just sack him at the next reshuffle? Will there be any honest investigation or will there be a cloak and dagger business at the next reshuffle?

Under Cabinet procedures—

It is pointless for me to try to answer if people keep talking. I have one minute to answer two questions and I would like to answer them. Under the rules of the Cabinet Handbook, if a memorandum to Government is leaked as has happened in this case – we know the text used yesterday is from the Cabinet document – it is up to the Department that instigated the memorandum to have it investigated through the Secretary General. The Secretary General then, obviously, uses the assistance of the Garda. That is the procedure. That procedure has already started this morning. That is the answer to the first question.

On the second question on the Hanly report, for the benefit of the House, I have given the contents of the Government decision and the Minister for Defence has signed up to that in the same way that I have. He has confirmed that to me. If people listened they would have heard me give the various sections and say on the record that we approved the implementation of the report on the lines set out in the memorandum taking geographics and demographics into consideration. The Minister for Defence, Deputy Michael Smith, gave his view on an aspect of the geographics, which was—

He rejected it.

Allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

—that it is not possible to move from an acute hospital to a hospital with no medical service overnight. The Minister gave his views on that.