Yesterday, I asked the Taoiseach to name a single parliament in the world where there is a time slot on the schedule where 100% of the time is given to the Government members of that parliament and he did not answer. Today, the Taoiseach came in with a list of parliaments where government MPs can ask oral questions. That has always been the case in Ireland where Government TDs can ask oral questions. They can ask questions under Questions on Policy or Legislation and under Taoiseach’s Questions as well, and the Government is getting rid of half of those.

A Cheann Comhairle, the role of Ceann Comhairle in defending the democratic processes in this Dáil and the interests of all Members impartially is very important. It is essential that the Ceann Comhairle enjoys the confidence of both Government and Opposition. Clearly, this is no longer the case and you need to reflect on that position.

Yesterday, the mask slipped. The enduring image of the day was Michael Lowry giving the two fingers. A TD, who has been found to be grossly corrupt, laughing it up as the Taoiseach did his bidding sums it all up. The derision and the contempt that is at the heart of this Government was clearly exposed. Michael Lowry was cock-a-hoop, and who can blame him? The Taoiseach had just ripped up more than 100 years of parliamentary procedure for him. The question we all want answered is: why is the Taoiseach jumping through the hoops for Michael Lowry?

I have listened to the Taoiseach demean the concerns about this stitch-up. For generations, we have had Governments and Oppositions, each one charged with a distinct duty - one empowered to run the country and the other to hold that power accountable. After yesterday’s debacle, we have a muddying of the waters, an attempt to disguise Government backbenchers as members of the Opposition by bestowing them with the same speaking rights as Opposition leaders. The notion that they will use this time to hold the Government to account is laughable. No one buys it, least of all the Taoiseach.

The arrogant dismissal of the public’s concerns is not working. They can see very clearly through the Government’s spin to what is really going on here. What we have is a Government that is drunk on power trying to damage the Opposition’s ability to hold it accountable. That is a serious infringement of the job we were elected to do and a slap in the face of the people who voted for us.

If ever a government needed to be held to account, this one does. It is barely a few months old and its record is already one of failure. The Government is flailing around on housing as the situation deteriorates from disaster to catastrophe. Children with disabilities and their families are being betrayed and abandoned. Pre-election promises, such as enacting the occupied territories Bill, have been kicked to touch. Clearly, it is not only Michael Lowry showing disrespect to the public. Will the Taoiseach come clean and tell us what he promised Michael Lowry in return for his support for this Government?

First of all, from day one this Government has been focused on the issues. I have been focused on the issues-----

How many pieces of legislation did the Government bring forward?

Extra Ministers.

Extra Ministers and extra pay for them. That is it.

-----in terms of housing, disability and the economic challenges facing us and the geopolitical challenges – a war on our Continent that we all want to end on a fair and just basis, an end to the slaughter in Gaza and the violence across the Middle East and the need for a durable ceasefire there. By the way, the Government and Ministers have been going about their work, unlike Deputy Cian O’Callaghan. The Deputy and others in this House, over eight minutes a day for non-Government TDs, 60 of whom will probably get one opportunity a year, are saying that is the equivalent to the Opposition getting time every day. The Deputy’s party gets more time this time as compared to the last Dáil. They have chosen to make this the big issue, not the Government side.

You voted to change Standing Orders.

The Chief Whip endeavoured to get a reasonable solution because people are entitled to speak. People are entitled to ask questions as well in our view, irrespective of whether they are a Government TD or not. By the way, Government TDs have been saying this for a long time, in particular with their experience in the last Dáil where groups with two or three TDs get far more mandates than parties with 40 TDs. What has been going on in the Dáil since 2016 has not been proportionate, if people want my honest opinion. There is no proportionality in terms of parties with 30 plus or 40 plus members. We have had two or three people over there trying to dictate this Dáil for a long time. That is over. That is not going to happen anymore. Just get that into your head.

What I will say to Deputy O’Callaghan is this-----

It is all out now. Giving the game away now.

Deputy O’Callaghan made no effort and he has to be honest here. The Deputy made no sincere effort to form a government.

Put the camera on him.

Deputy O’Callaghan trots out the line all of the time, laced with innuendo and suggestion, of "Who has something over you?" It is dark stuff and that is deliberate smearing by innuendo.

Answer the question. What does Lowry have on you?

On the only issue between this Government and the Independents, I will be honest about it. I have a record in this House of supporting stability and formation of government. I did it in 2016 with confidence and supply.

The crash was a good imitation of stability.

We were involved in negotiating the programme for Government and I did it at a time when the country faced a significant threat from Brexit. We managed to facilitate a government, and no one said we should not have the rights of an Opposition in terms of tabling questions, even though we had negotiating influence on the budgets and so on. That happened because I believe governments should be formed after a general election. That is my motivation. Deputy O’Callaghan did not believe it. Deputy Bacik did not believe it. I do. I take it as a serious responsibility.

The only group that came forward and that wanted to facilitate a majority in this House was the Regional Independent Group. What this is all about-----

I am around long enough to know what this is about. This is not about feigned sort of democrat-----

This is about reducing the majority of this Government from day one.

It is about a deal with Michael Lowry.

Thank you, Taoiseach.

There has been an effort here to undermine this Government from day one. That is what is afoot.

I thank the Taoiseach. I would ask him to get this into his head. I have asked him the question: “What is your deal with Michael Lowry?” Is the Taoiseach saying he made no deal with Michael Lowry to support the Government? Is that what he is saying? Is he saying there was no deal?

I will come back-----

Was there no deal at all? Is that what the Taoiseach is saying? Is he saying he made no deal with Michael Lowry about these speaking rights at any stage, that there were no agreements, that he has done this off his own bat and that this is entirely his own initiative even though from day one Michael Lowry was saying that he was going to get these special speaking rights that Opposition leaders get?

From day one he was saying that. How was he able to say that with such confidence if there was no deal with the Taoiseach? How come if there was no deal with the Taoiseach he has gone and fought tooth and nail to deliver on what he was saying he was going to get from day one? Does you really think that is credible, that you have gone to all this effort just because you have no deal, apparently, with Michael Lowry and you gave him no commitments?

Sorry, the bottom line is the deal was the formation of Government in terms of the programme for Government. The now Minister of State, Deputy Marian Harkin, went through the programme for Government line by line. Deputy Seán Canney, now Minister of State – all the independent group – went through the programme for Government. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae – Minister of State - went through the programme for Government. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae went through the programme for Government. That was the issue.

The increase in carbon taxes.

Independent Ireland, for example, was not happy with aspects of the programme for Government and we were not prepared to accept some of the issues it wanted us to deal with. Independent Ireland actually had a decent discussion with us but there were some demands that we were not prepared to concede. But the Regional Independent Group went through it line by line. It was policy based but the Deputy will never accept that. He will just throw out the innuendo and the smear. “The deal.” It is great to be able to say it.

Was there a deal on speaking time?

The bottom line is ----

Was there a deal?

On speaking time, no. And by the way, the Regional Independent Group would, I would say, prefer a far different arrangement than what is being proposed by the Chief Whip.

They tried it and they did not get it.

In respect of what by any yardstick-----

They tried it at the start and then you came up with this concoction.

-----is a very modest rebalancing -----

Thank you, Taoiseach.

-----where you get eight minutes on a Wednesday, eight minutes on a Thursday.

It has cut Taoiseach's Questions in half.

Thank you, Taoiseach. Time is up.

It is a joke.