Cónal Thomas

Can I just ask, there's two policy areas I suppose you've made quite a big play of in relation to Angharadha Siocana.

You recently said, and through a PQ actually, the taser guns provided to Gardaí have yet to be discharged three months into the pilot project.

Does that show they are not needed or will this be expanded to other areas beyond Dublin?

Do we need it at all?

And obviously it'll be a disappointment to you, though, as well, that electronic monitoring of prisoners has effectively stalled because the tender process hasn't worked.

You made a big play of that.

You previously said the system we rolled out by the end of last year at the very latest said it was embarrassing that it hadn't happened sooner.

We move on a little bit to the wider party matters and Fianna Fáil is obviously marking its centenary this weekend.

Give us your assessment, Minister, of where Fianna Fáil's at.

It is a much diminished force from where it was 100 years ago.

But I suppose, do you believe under Micheál Martin, though, that the party is somewhat drifted from its Republican ethos?

I mean, you are a minister who has previously left the door open for going into government with Sinn Féin, something your party leaders emphatically ruled out.

You're also considered far more considered on the issue of a United Ireland as Leo Varadkar was.

So there's an inner shinner there, isn't there?

Do you accept, though, Minister, that, you know, as the sort of, you know, successor, as it were, in waiting, and we would have seen this in our recent poll figures, we should just touch a little bit on the response to the fuel protests, I think, because that did appear to damage you politically.

Do you accept that you made a mistake during that period when the army was due to be called in and did not show up?

Just as your own trajectory in your own career.

I mean, you may be Taoiseach one day.

And it was your sister, Meir Mill Callaghan, who actually told the Irish Times, why should my career be impacted by a man?

Congrats to him on having his career.