The Irish Daily Mail has published a list of ten TDs who spoke less than four times in Parliament this year. Their list show that former Prime Minister Bertie Ahern didn’t utter a sound.

Kerry TD, Jackie Healy-Rae, spoke so little that each word he uttered cost the public $18,548. Mr Healy Rae defended himself saying “Why should I go crawling to ministers with my problems across the floor of the house when I can go directly to them?”

A spokesperson for Bertie Ahern said that there was a “long-standing precedent that former Taoisigh (Prime Minister) are not requested to speak in Dáil debates”.

The newspaper published the top ten worst contributors along with the number of times they had opened their mouths in Parliament in 2010.

Here’s the list:

Bertie Ahern (0)
Jackie Healy-Rae (1)
Michael Woods (1)
Christy O’Sullivan (2)
Eamon Scanlon (3)
Dr Rory O’Hanlon (3)
Tom Kitt (3)
Noel Grealish (3)
Michael Fitzpatrick (3)
Michael Lowry (3)