I ask for leave to move the adjournment of the Dáil to consider a definite matter of urgent public importance, that is, the imminent national bus strike, and to enable members to urge the Taoiseach to intervene personally by inviting both sides to meet him in an effort to find a satisfactory solution; that the Dáil considers that this step is the only helpful one remaining, in view of the failure of the ordinary processes of negotiation and conciliation; and that the grave hardships which will be suffered by all parties concerned in such a stoppage make his intervention imperative.
CIE Bus Dispute. - Request for Leave to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 29.
The Deputy has given me notice of his intention to raise this matter and I have given it consideration. The affairs of CIE, including the handling of labour disputes, are by law the responsibility of the Board of CIE and not of any member of the Government. Moreover, the Oireachtas has established machinery under the Industrial Relations Acts to deal with labour disputes
In order to have a matter raised under Standing Order 29, the Chair has to be satisfied that a member of the Government has direct official responsibility in relation to it. I can find no such responsibility in the case of the matter which is sought to be raised by the member and, accordingly, I am ruling, as I have ruled before in similar circumstances, that it is not one contemplated by the Standing Order.
I want to get some further elucidation of the Chair's extraordinary ruling on this vital matter, which amounts, in fact, to a national emergency. Does not a duty, in fact, devolve upon the head of the Government in a situation of this kind to take steps——
I cannot allow the Deputy to make his case in this fashion.
——to avert the hardships which must arise if this strike takes place?
Does the Deputy want to create an incident?
I have no such intention, Sir. I want to get results. I want the Taoiseach to intervene.
I will not allow an incident to be created in this fashion.
I think the Deputy has done very well.
The Chair has created more of an incident than I. This Dáil will be reduced to an assembly of dummies if we will not be allowed to express our views on a matter of this kind.
The Deputy can have his own opinion about that.
Will the Taoiseach say now whether he will or will not intervene? Will the Taoiseach not say that? It does not show very much concern for the half million Dublin citizens who will be walking next week.