What lines of communication has the Leader with his peers in the Lower House? We felt the banking inquiry issue had been put to bed last week but, as a result of statements made yesterday by the Minister for Finance and earlier by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, the escapade regarding what happened at the meeting of the Committee of Selection and in this House seems to have grown legs. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade accused us of pulling a stroke last week and, thankfully, the Leader clarified the position on the record of the House, which I appreciate. Yesterday, I was amazed when listening to the news to hear the Minister for Finance repeating the word "stroke". Today, it had developed into a coup, according to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Each one of the politburo within the Government-----

We cannot discuss last week's business again this week.

The banking inquiry is the most current issue we have to discuss.

Hear, hear.

The politburo of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform has colluded to try to damage the reputation of the House and the Committee of Selection. It has scored a spectacular own goal, which no own goal in the World Cup will rival. In scoring this own goal, they have tried to attack individuals in this House. There was an attempt to assassinate the character of one of the nominees, Senator MacSharry. There were also attempts to damage the workings of the Committee of Selection and to say the House did not know what it was doing. Has the Leader a line of communication open to the politburo in the Lower House? I am sure the Taoiseach was involved in this appointment. The Tánaiste, the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform and the Taoiseach are smarting and hurting because of the own goal that was scored. The committee system was set up more than 20 years ago and it is unprecedented to enlarge the membership of a committee to ensure the politburo gets it way, has a majority and can dictate the terms of reference of the inquiry. They will try to project and gauge the outcome of the inquiry and set it out in such a way that it will be politically damaging to Fianna Fáil more so than others.

There was a suggestion that the membership of the inquiry committee would reflect the numbers in both Houses. If that was the case, why were the 14-member Fianna Fáil group, Sinn Féin, the Independents and others not consulted about who should be the Opposition spokesperson? While I do not want to go down that road, it is imperative that we get to this because the banking inquiry has been damaged in the eyes of the public. The continuing remarks, which are offensive to me and many other Senators, by the Tánaiste and the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, who are all within the politburo of the Government, are trying to do down what happened at the Committee of Selection and this is only adding to the fact that they were caught out trying to engineer the inquiry. They have spectacularly failed and the public will state that to them.

I would like to put on record my admiration for Deputy Donnelly for having the wisdom, good faith and trust to stand down from the committee, which has a particular agenda and motive.

The Senator is over time.

The Government is now stating the Whip will not be imposed, but that is a damp squib at this stage. I am proposing an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, who yesterday made a vicious attack on this House and the Committee of Selection, come and explain to the House where he got this notion of a stroke. This would not have happened if there had been proper communication between the Fine Gael and Labour Party groupings and the Leader, for whom I have great respect and whose integrity is certain. I want the Minister to come and explain what is going on and clarify his remarks in order that this House will no longer be dragged into this mire that the Government has created. That is the least that could be done. The Minister should come before the House today as a matter of urgency to clarify his remarks and stop codding the people and trying to throw the blame for something it created. The Government should wake up and state: "We tried to engineer this banking inquiry. We will dictate the results."

The Senator is way over time.

It is not going to get away with it. The Minister for Finance should come before the House today.

I know that the Leader will respond to Senator Denis O'Donovan on the banking inquiry issue. I will just say this. I hope the members of the inquiry team or, to be correct, the committee that has been set up to establish the terms of reference for the banking inquiry can be left to get on with their important work. It is hugely important and urgent that we see terms of reference set for the banking inquiry in order that the hearings proceed as envisaged.

It is work which has already been discredited.