Dail Sketch/Michael O'Regan: Minister for Education Mary Hanafin saw out some of the last period of yesterday's end of Dáil term for this year.
With Minister of State Síle de Valera, she took Education questions.
Later the Dáil adjourned until 2.30pm on Wednesday, January 25th, a break for our legislators from plenary sessions which make the generous teachers' holidays look trivial.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent gave a negative end-of-term report, demanding that the House return on January 11th.
"There is a general mood in the public mind that the Dáil is not delivering and not succeeding in responding to the issues that affect people in their day-to-day lives," he declared.
Labour's Emmet Stagg was concerned that, despite the long break, he will not be free of the sound of bells tolling.
Thanking the Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O'Hanlon for his Christmas card, he noted that it has an image of the bell on his desk.
"My wife, greatly respecting the Ceann Comhairle's office, insists on putting the card in the centre of the mantelpiece," he added. "I must look at the bell for the whole yuletide fireside season."
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern suggested: "The deputy does not like the bell because it is a reminder to him." Mr Stagg is no stranger to the occasional rebuke from Dr O'Hanlon, sometimes with the bell ringing out a warning.
Meanwhile, Dr O'Hanlon returned to the disappearance of his remark, "Frig it, Enda . . . " from the official Dáil record.
In a formal statement, he said the Dáil official report was published as unrevised and deputies had up to 14 days after publication to bring corrections to the notice of the editor of debates, who was responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the report.
Members who had raised the matter in a jocose way on Wednesday, were not casting any reflection on the chairman or the professionalism of the editorial staff who did tremendous work, often very late at night, to produce the report of the debates in a short turnaround time, he added.
Fine Gael's Richard Bruton said his party shared the Ceann Comhairle's view that they were well served by the editorial staff.
Nobody, said Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, had cast any aspersion on the professionalism and extraordinary diligence of the editorial staff. He though the statement "unnecessarily precious".
Mr Rabbitte was worried about the archivists and historians who would not have access to the "linguistics being tried out in this House".
Labour's Michael D Higgins suggested a seminar, while Fine Gael's Bernard Durkan said it could last a week. "In-service courses," observed Ms Hanafin.
Mr Higgins remarked that "they could be teaching the difference between a metaphysical and ontological outlook in linguistics in February".
Meanwhile, some Fianna Fáil backbenchers had a faraway look, contemplating, no doubt, the junior ministerial vacancy which Ms Harney said the Taoiseach would fill in January. The word is that mobile phones will not be switched off, even on Christmas Day.