I extend my sympathy to Senator John Kelly and his family on the death of his father.

Will the Leader say how the Taoiseach can tell the Dáil and the rest of us to have confidence in the Minister for Justice and Equality when it is clear from his actions he has no confidence in him? When the going got tough he stepped in and instructed an official from the Department to visit the Garda Commissioner, essentially to sack him. The Taoiseach met the Attorney General to discuss the unprecedented revelation of Garda recording of telephone conversations. All of this happened over the Minister’s head. The Taoiseach seems to be a one-man Cabinet, chairman, Minister and chief executioner. Who knows his extraordinary powers? I do not think these powers were envisaged when the Constitution was drawn up. We are certainly in grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented, GUBU, territory when the Attorney General is afraid to speak to the Taoiseach over the phone for fear of bugging. By whom?

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

The Taoiseach had a hand in sacking the Commissioner without so much as even a recorded courtesy call to the Minister.

He did not sack anyone.

It seems that the important public business of this country is being held up by a very unseemly and troubling affair. The Minister is a man of undeniable ability but does not seem to have the confidence of many people because of the way in which he has run his Department, from the Mick Wallace affair onwards. There is one solution, namely, that the Taoiseach bring forward the reshuffle he was undoubtedly thinking of having anyway.

That is a matter for the Taoiseach, as the Senator knows well.

Perhaps it is time he did something that needs to be done-----

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

-----to separate the justice and defence briefs because these two briefs should not be held by the one person. I am sure Senator Ivana Bacik and others would agree with me.

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader? We are on the Order of Business.

From the point of view of democratic theory, responsibility and accountability, the Garda and the Defence Forces should not be under the leadership of the same Minister. This has been a problem for a long time. Now is the opportunity for the Taoiseach, if he believes in the Minister's ability, and I have no doubt he does, to give him another brief. I do not know whether that should be the Department of Justice and Equality, but it certainly should not be both the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Defence.