What about the Minister and NAMA?

What about NAMA?

What about the Minister? There was a third question.

The Deputy is only allowed to ask one.

The Tánaiste deliberately ran down the clock.

The one question rule applies.

The questions were answered in the order they were asked.

I thought a Deputy was entitled to ask one question only, not five.

We cannot have comprehensive questions being asked all over the place. This is Leaders' Questions.

That is correct.

Is it one question a week?

Let us be reasonable and we will do the best we can. I ask Deputy Mary Lou McDonald to proceed.

This is the Labour Party's custodial democracy.

I have asked reasonable questions.

Questions, yes.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked five questions.

That is too many for the Labour Party. One a week is all it wants.

On the mobility allowance, in 2008 the State acknowledged that it was acting outside the law in having an upper age limit.

Will the Tánaiste tell us if the Government proposes to rectify the situation? There is no question but that the State is acting outside the law. It must bring this scheme within it. I also ask the Tánaiste to answer my question on the meeting between the Minister, Deputy James Reilly, and NAMA in April.

That is a separate issue.

Did the Tánaiste speak to the Minister about this matter? Did he tell the Tánaiste that he had met NAMA?

The Deputy is only entitled to ask one question.

Did the Minister tell the Tánaiste that they had discussed the issue of primary care centres and their locations? Did he tell him that Balbriggan was part and parcel of that discussion? If the Tánaiste knew all of this, did it not set alarm bells ringing? He stood up here and gave a very long, elaborate answer on one issue that I had raised, but he is clearly dodging the issue of NAMA and the Minister. Did he know that the meeting had taken place and if he did not, will he raise the matter with the Minister?

Before the Tánaiste responds, I wish to make a point. I do not like to interrupt Deputies when they are asking questions, but I want to make it clear that in the future they cannot bring in three or four topics when asking questions.

It does not matter because they do not answer questions anyway.

We allow a question to the Taoiseach or the Tánaiste. I ask Deputies to respect this.

I am willing to answer questions raised here, but it is my understanding that during Leaders' Questions, when questions are asked without notice, the rule of the House is that the representative of each party can ask one question. I will be quite happy, if the rules are changed, to answer four or five questions, if necessary. I would have no problem with this.

The Tánaiste makes up the rules as he goes along.

One question a week is enough for the Tánaiste.

I have tried to give a comprehensive answer. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked about the children's hospital and the mobility allowance.

The Tánaiste is going to talk it out again.

Having given Deputy Mary Lou McDonald a comprehensive answer to those questions, she is now saying I did not answer the other one.

The Tánaiste needs to cut the waffle and answer the question.

It is a parliamentary trick.

The Tánaiste is fairly handy himself at parliamentary tricks.

That is fair enough and I recognise it for what it is and call it as it is.

We recognise what the Tánaiste is doing too - he is not answering the question.

Regarding the question on the mobility allowance, we have the report from the Ombudsman which is under consideration by the Government. We must obtain legal advice on how to proceed because, obviously, the recommendation made in the report concerns compliance with the terms of the Equal Status Act. We are obtaining that advice. The second report issued by the Ombudsman yesterday will be considered by the Government.

Regarding individual Ministers, who they meet and what is in their diaries, I cannot track, nor do I want to, the diaries of every Minister, who they met-----

The Tánaiste wanted to do it when he was in opposition.

I could not possibly do so.

Therefore, the Tánaiste did not know about the meeting.

The Labour Party Minister of State resigned over this.

I call Deputy Thomas Pringle.

Did the Tánaiste know about the meeting?

I have called Deputy Thomas Pringle.

Does the Tánaiste know that it is illegal to lobby NAMA?

Will the Deputy, please, give way to Deputy Thomas Pringle?