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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 22 May 1979

Vol. 314 No. 7

Order of Business.

It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 5 and 6 (resumed). Private Members' Business from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m., No. 78 by agreement.

I wish to ask if any Member on the Government side of the House is aware of the imminent health hazard——

I am taking item No. 5. The Deputy has been told that he is not in order in his behaviour.

(Interruptions.)

Order, please, order.

All we are doing is discussing irrelevancies. Anything that relates to the people of Dublin is ruled out of order. It is a disgrace.

Order, please. Deputy Blaney on the Order of Business.

The Taoiseach has gone unfortunately.

He is running away with the rest of them.

Will the Taoiseach consider making some time available so that the question disturbing many people like myself at the moment of what appears to be the unjust and discriminatory treatment of non-party candidates in regard to money and time——

The question does not arise.

It is not for me anyway.

I am asking for time to discuss the money that has been going to these people and the free time on television and radio that is being distributed to them. I am asking in the most orderly fashion at the proper time and from the proper authority whether such time would be made available.

This question has nothing to do with the Order of Business.

Of course it has.

It is only because of the insistence of the Deputy. Item No. 5.

With the permission of the Chair, I wish to raise some matters on the Adjournment; firstly, the manner of distribution of EEC moneys to candidates running for the EEC election, for which this Government through their Council of Ministers' representation, have a direct responsibility. I also wish to raise the question of voting regulations so far as the secrecy of the ballot is concerned. I already had an unsatisfactory, misleading and confusing reply about this matter last week. I wish to raise this question so that the regulations can be amended in time for the election on 7 June.

I will communicate with the Deputy this evening.

I also wish to raise on the Adjournment the discriminatory manner in which, through no fault of the authorities in RTE, time is allocated to the well-heeled people who have the slush money from the EEC. How is it that they are now getting free time——

I will communicate with the Deputy.

——on television and on radio? I wish to have these matters raised and will continue to press to have them raised between now and June 7 on every occasion in this House until I get some satisfaction.

I will not be pushed around on this one.

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