Yesterday, I asked the Taoiseach a very straight question in the House. I asked him whether he thought it was acceptable that the CEO of Irish Water also owns shares in a company which is set to make millions from Irish Water contracts. Of course he did not answer the question. I also asked him about the massive over-run for the installation of water meters and he did not answer that question either.

He made these spurious and untruthful remarks which he has repeated today. His answer shows a lack of a sense of grace. When he is told by me and by the leader of our group in Limerick that Sinn Féin was not involved in that protest, he should accept that.

Like Deputy Coonan when he was involved.

Nobody does. Be clear.

Big people do not know how to govern. The children in Monaghan could tell the Taoiseach that.

The Taoiseach will answer.

Deputy Adams is not in the IRA.

Stay quiet, please.

He is waking up-----

You stay quiet too, please.

The Taoiseach is well able to answer for himself.

The Taoiseach says he is listening to people but he is not listening to people. He does not listen to the Opposition in here nor does he listen to people on the streets. He was forced into a partial U-turn on this issue so that shows people that people power is working. The Taoiseach had an opportunity to get rid of water charges and people know that so they are not fooled because he did not do so. People are scandalised by the continuous waste of public money by Irish Water. I just discovered that they spend-----

Please put your question, Deputy Adams.

Irish Water spends nearly €1 million every month on advisers. The Taoiseach talked about clarity. Where is the clarity about this? How much is Ervia spending on media advisers? How much is Irish Water paying? Instead of muddying the waters with these untruthful allegations, will the Taoiseach tell me why these costs are concealed from the public? Why can the public not know what is being paid to advisers, media advisers in particular?

Did Deputy Adams see the "Spotlight" programme?

Last night's "Spotlight" programme.

Last night's "Spotlight" programme indicated that the Deputy's party is off the Richter scale in terms of the way it deals with its expenses.

Deputy Adams might print it out for us.

Answer the question, Taoiseach.

Deputy Adams makes charges in the House. He asked the same question yesterday. Mr. McNicholas spoke on national radio yesterday morning and clarified the position in so far as his being a shareholder in NTR was concerned and he dealt with all of that.

Is it acceptable? You are the Taoiseach.

The Deputy's second point was about the difference between the estimate and the formal tender. He knows a lot about building. A person can be asked to submit an estimate of a probable cost-----

It cost €100 million.

-----but a formal tender is obviously more accurate because it is a more detailed assessment. That is the position with regard to the water meters. The Deputy should talk to the children who wrote to me.

It is 20% out.

We are told by Deputy Adams that we have to believe everything here. Of course, he did say, "Go and pay your water charges". He supports water charges and then he does not support water charges.

He was never in the IRA.

We never supported water charges.

Please, we are over time.

Deputy Adams has changed his tune on a number of occasions. The people to his left on the political spectrum seem to be getting at him because he has abandoned ship with regard to his wealth tax-----

We have not.

-----and he is now back to putting an 8% increase in income tax on every taxpayer in the country.

The Taoiseach's ship is sinking.

The people of this country should know that in supporting the populism of his party, what they are being asked to do is to have their income tax increased substantially for those earning from €30,000 right up through to those whom Deputy Adams deems to be wealthy, those earning from €40,000 and €50,000, hard-pressed middle Ireland. Sinn Féin will increase their income tax.

Will the Taoiseach answer the question?

He does not answer questions. He should try to answer the question for once.

That is what it wants to do. He told us that he has submitted his budget which was exceptionally well costed with a black hole of €300 million, €400 million, €500 million and which he expects the workers of Ireland to pay for by means of increased income taxes.

Stop punishing the people. Stop the smears.

I do not believe the things he tells me in here. I do not believe what he told me about Clare and Limerick.

Sorry, Taoiseach, we are way over time.

If the Deputy's people are associated, as he puts it, in a broad support group by the members who were down there the other night, then I ask him to make his statement to Mr. Quinlivan and everybody else. The kind of language used by people associated with his party-----

The Taoiseach knows that we dissociate ourselves entirely from that.

-----was absolutely appalling and an affront to women in particular.

I must ask the Taoiseach to conclude.

Deputy Adams should make a statement asking every Sinn Féin member to cease association with that broad support group to which he referred.

Mr. Quinlivan was afraid to tell Deputy Adams the truth because he could have been court-martialled.