I move:
That Deputy Cluskey be suspended from the service of the House.
Private Members' Business. - Suspension of Member.
Is the Chair aware of the issue which brought this incident about? Is the Chair aware that there was a Labour Party speaker offering who was in turn to speak and he was ignored by a member of the Fianna Fáil Party who was in temporary occupation of the Chair and Deputy Dowling was called?
The Chair is only aware that Deputy Cluskey disobeyed the Chairman.
The Labour Party is quite well aware that it is the intention of the Fianna Fáil Party to try to muzzle and curtail Labour Party speakers in this House. This is the thin end of the wedge. It is against all the traditions of this House that an Opposition Member would not be allowed to speak.
Question put: "That Deputy Cluskey be suspended from the service of the House."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 61; Níl, 38.
Tá
- Allen, Lorcan.
- Andrews, David.
- Barrett, Sylvester.
- Boland, Kevin.
- Boylan, Terence.
- Brady, Philip A.
- Brennan, Joseph.
- Brennan, Paudge.
- Briscoe, Ben.
- Brosnan, Seán.
- Browne, Patrick.
- Browne, Seán.
- Burke, Patrick J.
- Carter, Frank.
- Childers, Erskine.
- Collins, Gerard.
- Connolly, Gerard C.
- Cowen, Bernard.
- Cronin, Jerry.
- Crowley, Flor.
- Cunningham, Liam.
- Davern, Noel.
- Dowling, Joe.
- Fahey, Jackie.
- Faulkner, Pádraig.
- Fitzpatrick, Tom (Dublin Central).
- Foley, Desmond.
- Forde, Paddy.
- French, Seán.
- Gallagher, James.
- Geoghegan, John.
- Gibbons, Hugh.
- Gogan, Richard P.
- Healy, Augustine A.
- Herbert, Michael.
- Hilliard, Michael.
- Hussey, Thomas.
- Kenneally, William.
- Kitt, Michael F.
- Lalor, Patrick J.
- Lemass, Noel T.
- Lenehan, Joseph.
- Lenihan, Patrick J.
- Loughnane, William A.
- Lynch, Celia.
- Lynch, John.
- McEllistrim, Thomas.
- MacSharry, Ray.
- Meaney, Thomas.
- Molloy, Robert.
- Moore, Seán.
- Moran, Michael.
- Nolan, Thomas.
- Noonan, Michael.
- O'Kennedy, Michael.
- O'Leary, John.
- O'Malley, Des.
- Smith, Michael.
- Timmons, Eugene.
- Tunney, Jim.
- Wyse, Pearse.
Níl
- Barry, Richard.
- Begley, Michael.
- Belton, Luke.
- Belton, Paddy.
- Bruton, John.
- Burke, Liam.
- Burton, Philip.
- Byrne, Hugh.
- Cluskey, Frank.
- Collins, Edward.
- Conlan, John F.
- Cott, Gerard.
- Kenny, Henry.
- McLaughlin, Joseph.
- Murphy, Michael P.
- O'Connell, John F.
- O'Donnell, Tom.
- O'Donovan, John.
- O'Leary, Michael.
- Creed, Donal.
- Crotty, Kieran.
- Desmond, Barry.
- Dunne, Thomas.
- Finn, Martin.
- Flanagan, Oliver J.
- Fox, Billy.
- Governey, Desmond.
- Harte, Patrick D.
- Hogan, Patrick.
- Kavanagh, Liam.
- Keating, Justin.
- O'Sullivan, John L.
- Pattison, Séamus.
- Spring, Dan.
- Taylor, Francis.
- Timmins, Godfrey.
- Treacy, Seán.
- Tully, James.
Tellers, Tá: Deputies O'Malley and Meaney; Níl: Deputies Tully and Dr. O'Connell.
Question declared carried.
I now ask Deputy Cluskey to leave the House.
I shall, of course, accept the decision of the House but my protest had to be made in view of the declared policy of Fianna Fáil, of which this appeared to be the opening shots, to muzzle the Labour Party from speaking in the House as they have succeeded so far in doing on Telefís Éireann.
This is not in order. There can be no discussion on this.
The surviving members of the front bench are now arriving.
Deputy Cluskey withdrew from the Chamber.