A Cheann Comhairle, last Friday I emailed you and the Business Committee requesting that time be put aside for the Minister for Justice to come to the House to answer questions on the appointment to the Supreme Court of Mr. Justice Séamus Woulfe. I did not receive a reply over the weekend and I sent a further email yesterday lunchtime. This call was supported by Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and the Rural Independent Group, and yet we received no reply formally or informally to the request. I do not take to my feet very often on the Order of Business and I do not make idle requests of this House. The matter has reached a threshold of importance where I believe the vast majority of Members on the Opposition feel that the Minister needs to come to the House. The only reply we got was a revised schedule sent around yesterday evening. Not only was the request denied, the manner in which the request was made was disrespected. For that alone the Labour Party cannot agree to the Order of Business as proposed for Tuesday. Again we make the request that the Minister for Justice comes to the House at some point this week to answer these questions.

The Social Democrats cannot agree to the Order of Business. We too wrote to the Business Committee looking for time to be set aside for the Minister for Justice to come in to deal with the process around the appointment of judges, and the most recent appointment.

That has to happen and it must happen this week.

We concur with the point that has been made about the appointment to the Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO. That motion is on the Order Paper because we are required to give the appointment our stamp of approval. The Standards in Public Office Commission is there to hold us to account equally. We have to be certain that it is above reproach.

There is a motion on the Order Paper to refer the issue of the horse and greyhound racing fund to the Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine. We are not at all happy that there will not be a debate on this House in advance of that, given what we know about the Irish Greyhound Board, the animal welfare issue and the fact that there is a substantial increase in the board's budget. This requires for there to be a debate in this House on that matter.

The Government is trying to dodge artfully a number of key debates. First, an ex-Fianna Fáil Senator is meant to be appointed to SIPO despite being a former lobbyist for the National Association of General Practitioners, NAGP, and despite the fact that SIPO has been asked to adjudicate on the Tánaiste's leaking of confidential documents to the NAGP. That is bizarre, incredible and not on.

Second, the controversy about the judge has been kicked back to the Judiciary. That is fair enough, but there are political issues surrounding this appointment. The Taoiseach knows that. Why is the Minister for Justice not being asked to come in to the House to make a statement and to answer questions about those political appointments, which everyone knows about should not be allowed?

Finally, a motion on €19 million in funding for the greyhound industry is to be passed without debate. We are not going to agree to that. The Order of Business for today needs to be seriously looked at.

I concur with the statements regarding today's business. I also ask the Ceann Comhairle what the House is going to do about the issue of Mr. Justice Seamus Woulfe?

I am not here to answer questions.

When was he-----

All I can deal with are motions I receive on that or any other matter. I apologise to Deputy Duncan Smith if he did not receive a formal reply from the Business Committee because he most certainly should have. I call the Taoiseach to respond to the issues raised.