The Taoiseach announced the resignation of the Minister, Deputy Shatter, yesterday at 4.30 p.m. in the House. The Guerin report will be published tomorrow and should be debated in the House in considerable detail. It is very unfortunate that the Minister for Justice and Equality resigned when the Members of this House had not yet seen the report. It is surprising also that the Tánaiste, even at lunchtime yesterday, defended Deputy Shatter as Minister and confirmed that he had confidence in him. That is against the background of the receipt of the Guerin report by the Taoiseach's office on the previous evening. Apparently the Taoiseach was launching the campaign of the by-election candidate in Dublin West while his staff were digesting the 300-page report. There are reports today that the Taoiseach was in contact with the Attorney General at 6 a.m. yesterday. The then Minister, Deputy Shatter, was contacted and shown the report.

Despite his actions, the Tánaiste and other Labour Party Ministers have repeatedly defended the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, for the past 18 months, even when his behaviour was highly questionable. I refer to his attitude to the Smithwick inquiry, his attitude to whistleblowers and so on. All of that has made it difficult for us to comprehend the reason the Labour Party in particular was so steadfast in its support for the then Minister, Deputy Shatter, given his approach to many controversial issues, from the bugging of the offices of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, to the whistleblowing incident, and so forth.

Can the Minister explain to me when the Tánaiste was first told about the resignation of the former Minister, Deputy Shatter? When did he receive the Guerin report or when was he informed that the Guerin report had been received? Does he now find it somewhat unacceptable that he was expressing full confidence in the Minister at 2 o'clock yesterday without having any idea that by that stage the Minister was resigning and the Taoiseach had engaged with him on the issue?

The Deputy is asking me questions about the Tánaiste's reaction when he was informed or what he knew at a particular time. In many respects all I can tell him is what I know, although it is not necessarily the full story. The Tánaiste was informed mid-afternoon yesterday that the Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence had tendered his resignation. What we understand is that the Taoiseach had invited Deputy Shatter for a discussion. I am quoting what is in the public domain; I am not party to any of this directly. As Deputy Shatter has said, he read a number of chapters in that report and on the basis of what he read he tendered his resignation to the Taoiseach. That is as I understand it. The parliamentary Labour Party was in session when the Taoiseach made the announcement to the Dáil; I think the Deputy was present, so he heard it directly. I came into the Chamber about five minutes after the Taoiseach had started speaking. That is what I understand to be the position.

I thank the Minister. The Tánaiste was informed mid-afternoon. Did the Minister speak to the Tánaiste before coming into the House this morning? There is a reasonable expectation that these questions would be asked, because I find it very surprising that the Tánaiste was blindsided on this issue. Can the Minister confirm when the Tánaiste was told that the report had arrived? Was he made aware on the previous evening, Tuesday evening, that the report had arrived? Was the Tánaiste told then that the Guerin report had arrived and that its content was very grave? Obviously, he was not, nor was he told yesterday morning, even though the Attorney General was told at 6 a.m. He willingly expressed total confidence in the Minister at 2 o'clock even though we now know that the then Minister, Deputy Shatter, intended to resign, and it is clear the Taoiseach knew that. I find it extraordinary that the Taoiseach did not bring the Tánaiste into his confidence earlier with regard to the Guerin report and its potential implications for the status of the Minister, and also with regard to the fact that a senior Minister of the Government in the Department of Justice and Equality was about to resign. Does the Minister not find that somewhat extraordinary?

If the intent of the Deputy's questions is to suggest that the Tánaiste was blindsided in some way by the Taoiseach and that therefore the relationship between the two is less than satisfactory, I have to tell him-----

No. I am not saying that.

That seemed to me to be the direction in which he was going.

I just want to find out when he was told.

I know that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste spoke mid-afternoon yesterday. They were in contact with each other on a number of occasions throughout yesterday and, I suspect, earlier today, but the Deputy is asking me questions to which only the Tánaiste can give him a precise answer. I am telling him what I know, which is not necessarily the whole amount, but I do know that there was ongoing discussion and contact between the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste from mid-afternoon yesterday. As the Deputy is aware, they were each attending a different function, and then there was the Arbour Hill ceremony, and events moved very quickly.

Did they not talk at Arbour Hill?

I do not know if they did. I know that the-----

We cannot have discussions across the floor.

Through the Chair, the Deputy asked me a specific question. I understand the resignation was communicated to the Taoiseach some time in the early afternoon after the then Minister, Deputy Shatter, had read chapters 1, 9 and 20 of the report. On that basis, everything else moved very quickly. As to the precise time the Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, knew what and when, the Deputy would have to ask him for that information.

I thought the Minister would have spoken to him.