The Leas-Cheann Comhairle announced this morning the resignation of former Deputy Dara Murphy from Dáil Éireann, effective from 10.45 p.m. last evening, almost immediately after the vote of confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. The reality is that Dara Murphy should have resigned at the end of 2017 because since he took up office with the Fine Gael grouping in Europe, the European People's Party, EPP, his parliamentary input has been reduced to near zero, to quote Harry McGee of The Irish Times. Since then, he effectively became an absentee Teachta Dála while still drawing a full salary.

Our role as Teachtaí Dála is essentially twofold; it is representational and legislative. We represent individuals, residents, communities, cities and counties on a range of issues and seek to resolve grievances and concerns through Parliament. We also make laws and engage in public debate which helps to influence and shape such laws.

Since the end of 2017, Dara Murphy did not discharge either of these functions. He has not spoken in the Dáil since 7 December 2017. I understand he only attended the Committee on Public Petitions once during 2018 and 2019. He asked a total of five parliamentary questions in 2019 and only two in 2018. I invite people to compare that record to that of his three colleagues in Cork North-Central. That behaviour reflects total disengagement from the Dáil.

The people of the northside of Cork elected him to represent them. For the past two years he did not do that. The people of the northside of Cork were neglected by him, and that was endorsed by the Taoiseach and the Fine Gael Party. The Taoiseach defended this behaviour, saying late last week that, "His main job has been a European job in the past two years, and he's done that extremely well". His job was with the Fine Gael Party in Europe. It had nothing to do with the Dáil or the European Parliament. Does the Taoiseach understand that basic point? Does he accept that former Deputy Dara Murphy's behaviour has fundamentally breached the code of conduct for Members in that he betrayed the trust placed in him by the people of the northside of Cork and has failed to obtain public confidence and trust in his role as a Teachta Dála and Dáil Éireann as an institution?

People are angry about this. People everywhere are talking about it. The Taoiseach sanctioned and okayed this and put party interest before the public interest. Working with Fine Gael and the EPP had nothing to do with Dáil Éireann and Dara Murphy's responsibility as a Deputy. Does the Taoiseach accept that he and the Fine Gael Party were wrong to sanction this arrangement and that he should apologise to the people of the northside of Cork, in particular, for the neglect of the past two years? Does he accept the basic point that former Deputy Dara Murphy's behaviour over the past two years was not morally sustainable? Can he outline the nature of his discussion with Dara Murphy in May 2018 when he announced that he would not contest the next general election?

I thank Deputy Martin. As he will be aware, Dara Murphy has resigned from the Dáil and is no longer a Member of the House or the Fine Gael parliamentary party. He is taking up a new role in the European Commission, a job he applied for and got. It is not a Government appointment.

In relation to his remuneration and expenses, I spoke to him last night and last weekend. Last night he confirmed that he is willing to submit to any formal investigation regarding his conduct, whether it is his remuneration, expenses or whatever, and that can be done by the ethics committee or the Standards in Public Office Commission. If it cannot be done by those bodies for some reason, he is willing to put all of the information in front of the Clerk of the Dáil who can examine whether or not he complied with the rules and regulations of this House.

His role with the EPP was as a campaign director for a period of time and ended six months ago. While he did that role he was still responsible for looking after his constituency, through his constituency office in Cork, and being here as a TD and Member of the Dáil. The record shows that he was here for 120 days last year, including for 40-something sitting days, and voted on occasions. He is not the only Member of the House to have another job and other employment. It is not permitted for Government Ministers to have other jobs or employment, but it is permitted for TDs to have other jobs or employment and some members of the Fianna Fáil Front Bench have other jobs and other employment.

On my discussions with Dara Murphy in May 2018, at that time he informed me he would not run for the Dáil again. That did not come as any surprise. I thanked him for his service in the years gone by and said we would endeavour to find a new candidate to replace him to contest the election whenever it came, and we have.

I asked the Taoiseach whether he accepted that Dara Murphy's behaviour was not morally sustainable. This is not about a person having two jobs. People are angry that he took a full salary. The Taoiseach avoided the substance of my position, which is that he effectively walked away from the Dáil at the end of 2017. He did not represent the people of Cork from the end of 2017 onwards. The record speaks for itself. I am not talking about mere physical attendance. I am talking about parliamentary representation and representing people on the ground, which was non-existent, and in Dáil Éireann, which was non-existent.

It goes to the very core of the work of a Teachta Dála to represent the people who elected him. The Taoiseach issued a fulsome statement in May 2018, when Dara Murphy announced he was not contesting the next general election. He confirmed that Dara Murphy would be continuing as director of elections for the European People's Party, EPP, which is Fine Gael's grouping in the European Parliament. The Taoiseach went on to state that “So while Dara might be leaving the Dáil, he is certainly not leaving political life or Fine Gael", and then added that, “I look forward to working with him closely during the next phase of his career.” Dara Murphy essentially left the Dáil, however. He left the people of Cork behind him and said goodbye, and that was okay with the Taoiseach. What was more important was that Dara Murphy was not leaving Fine Gael and he was working with the party in Europe full-time. That seemed to be fine.

The reason I asked the question was that situation dovetailed with Dara Murphy's announcement that he was not seeking re-election. As far as the Taoiseach was concerned, the people of Cork did not matter and whether Dara Murphy continued working as a Deputy did not matter. All that mattered was that he was going to be with Fine Gael in Europe. Will the Taoiseach accept he was guilty of a serious error of judgment in allowing such a practice and behaviour, which has angered people and eroded public confidence in our democratic institutions? Dara Murphy should have resigned at the end of 2017. His behaviour was not morally sustainable.

I am not going to prejudice the outcome of any formal or official investigation and I do not think Deputy Martin should either. He made a serious error of political judgment himself this time two years ago when he viciously condemned Frances Fitzgerald and forced her to resign as Tánaiste. A subsequent investigation found out-----

Hear, hear.

That is different.

-----that Deputy Martin's political judgment was flawed and that he had mistreated that woman-----

I asked the Taoiseach about his judgment.

-----and forced her out. I am not going to make that kind of political mistake-----

This is deflection of the highest order.

-----as Deputy Martin did in jumping to conclusions and judgment. I understand an investigation is still under way in respect of Deputies Dooley and Niall Collins, and there may even be others. I am not, therefore, going to prejudge the outcome of any investigation.

Some Deputies on the Taoiseach's benches will be investigated as well.

That would be a failure of political judgment like Deputy Martin's two years ago when he did what he did to Frances Fitzgerald. Dara Murphy has stated that he is willing to submit to an investigation.

I am not interested in what he is saying.

That is a different story.

I know the Deputy is not interested in the investigation.

I am making my own judgment, and the public has made their judgment.

The Taoiseach, without interruption.

There should be a proper investigation and it should not be prejudged. Dara Murphy is willing to provide information and documents to the ethics committee or to the Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO. If that cannot happen for some reason, as he is now a former Member, he is willing to submit the information to the Clerk of the Dáil and that is what should be done.

The Taoiseach has not answered my question.

As I stated yesterday, the rules around the way this House works when it comes to expenses, remuneration and fobbing in are far too lax.

It is not about that, Taoiseach. This is much more fundamental.

I think it is about the issues I mentioned.

It is not. It is about upholding the trust of the people who elect us.

As I mentioned, Members on Deputy Martin's Front Bench have other employment and may well-----

That is not the same.

It is different.

The Taoiseach, without interruption.

-----be fobbing into this House on their way to that other employment.

The Taoiseach is dodging the question and ducking and diving

We need to change that fundamentally. We should not have a system where we have rules made by politicians for politicians.

The Taoiseach is the biggest politician. He is the Taoiseach.

He is talking about this before an election.

In the House of Commons, at Westminster, this whole area has been handed over to an independent body and that is what should be done.

I call Deputy Ó Laoghaire.