Half of Cabinet fail to show up for Dáil questions

Almost half the Cabinet has failed to turn up in the Dáil for topical questions this year — despite a pledge by the Government that debates would be revamped and junior ministers would not just read scripts.

Figures obtained by the Irish Examiner reveal that Health Minister Simon Harris and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy are the worst offenders — attending just one such debate out of a total 63.