A Cheann Comhairle, I very much regret that I have once more to draw your attention to another very deplorable occurrence involving a Senator and an ex-Minister and, consequently, a breach of the privileges of this House and of its members.
At about 7.30 p.m. Deputy Dillon was subjected to an entirely unprovoked assault by Senator Quirke, the Leader of the Fianna Fáil Party in the Seanad. Deputy Dillon was walking along the corridor outside the precincts of this Chamber going up the stairs adjacent to the main stairway leading to this Chamber, when he was accosted by Senator Quirke who obstructed his further passage in the direction in which he was intending to go. Deputy Dillon, in his endeavour to move past Senator Quirke, was pressed against the wall of the stairway. Subsequently, Senator Quirke assaulted the Deputy by knocking the cigarette which he was smoking out of his mouth, kept up the abusive stream of language which he had been uttering previously thereto and continued to obstruct Deputy Dillon's further passage. The Captain of the Guard endeavoured to restrain Senator Quirke. Another Senator was present on the occasion and admitted that Deputy Dillon had been assaulted.
It is very deplorable that, within such a short period of time, another incident of this character should have occurred. Senator Quirke was present in this Chamber yesterday, in the Distinguished Strangers' Gallery, when I was directing your attention to the incident connected with the assault by the Minister for Education on Deputy Seán Collins. He must have realised the gravity of the allegation that I put forward for your investigation at that time.
This assault on Deputy Dillon took place after you had announced to the Dáil the result of your investigation and had declared here that the Minister for Education was guilty of contempt of Parliament. The fact that the Leader of the Seanad—a member of the Fianna Fáil Party—was guilty of this conduct within such a short period of time after your judgment had been pronounced upon my allegation here in the Dáil yesterday makes still more serious the conduct of that Senator. I ask you, Sir, to investigate the matter and to report it to the Dáil.