I support Senator Boyhan's remarks on GRECO and, equally, Senator Ardagh's comments, particularly on BusConnect. I firmly believe that it is important that people consider the matter.

I wish to raise an issue that has been talked about a lot recently. I have in my hand a copy of the confidence and supply agreement. I do not think anybody, including journalists and members of the Cabinet, have bothered to read the agreement in the past two years because I am constantly being told that my party will pull the plug whenever it suits.

The agreement consists of seven pages. Two pages are dedicated to the confidence and supply agreement. Appendix 1 consists of three pages and deals with the following issues: a policy framework for a confidence and supply agreement; Ireland’s economy; industrial relations and public sector pay; securing affordable homes and tackling homelessness; creating decent jobs and supporting enterprise; cutting costs for families and improving public services; and tackling crime and developing community services. Appendix 2 is entitled the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil Agreement on Water Services, which has been dealt with. Please note that on page 2 of the agreement it states: "It is agreed that both parties to this agreement will review this Framework Agreement at the end of 2018.” It does not state the middle of 2018, the summer of 2018 or before the budget but at the end of 2018.

Nobody has asked me to raise this but I am raising it because I am tired of reading in the newspapers and hearing people say that it should be reviewed now. People are ramping it up on both sides. It is in the agreement that was signed by the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael that both parties would review the framework arrangement at the end of 2018. That is what is in the agreement and that is what Deputies Micheál Martin and Enda Kenny signed up to. It is what our party signed up to-----

Does the Senator wish to bring the review forward?

He does, yes.

I do not; quite the opposite.

I formally second it.

I am just advising people on the record of the House that this is what was agreed by both parties, and my party has stuck to it. We have done our budget so far, as we said we would, and we have facilitated the Fine Gael-led minority Government of 50 Fine Gael Deputies, with eight Independent Members of various groupings supporting it. We have played our part and it is important that be acknowledged. All these calls for early reviews are not in keeping with the letter of the agreement. It should be acknowledged that we are playing our part in delivering the stability that is needed for this country.

I am sure the Leader will reaffirm the Senator's view. I call Senator McDowell.

I, too, wish to mention the GRECO report, without trespassing on the debate on the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill. This is a Council of Europe report and one version of it has been considered. The Government's proposals have changed somewhat since the first report was published so now we have a second set of circumstances. It is my understanding that the Government has received a second report from the GRECO committee. That report must take account of what has happened to the proposed legislation in the meantime. We are expected to believe that this report will be discussed by the Council of Europe in the near future but that we should not see it at this point even though it is of significant relevance to the proposed business of the House. If the report has been received in its amended state by the Government, as I believe it has been, and if it has been available to the Government for consideration and the Government has sat on it, so to speak, and not yet issued its comments to the Council of Europe so that the publication of the report and its response should be delayed, that is a serious state of affairs.

We are here to consider the legislation that has been put before us on this serious issue. Under the European Convention and the Council of Europe arrangements, we are a democracy that has agreed to comply with international standards. There is, on the face of it, a report that is deeply critical of what the Government is proposing to do. It might be less critical or more critical since the amendments were made but we do not know. However, we are told by the newspapers that it remains deeply critical of what the Government is proposing to do. The issue is that there is no reason that we should not be acquainted with the terms of this report before we consider what amendments have to be made.

Hear, hear.

It is simply a question of timing. There is no need for us to continue playing blind man's buff on legislation if this report is being kept secret. What is the point of the Government sitting on the report and not releasing it when it would inform and advise us on what we should or should not do with our legislative time? I appeal through the Leader to the members of the Government to stop playing a game of hunt the thimble here, by asking us to guess what is in the GRECO report, and to accord us the common decency and the democratic obligation of letting us know what the view in the Council of Europe is of the Government's proposed legislation before we are asked to cast our own judgment on the amendments to this troubled legislation.