I want to inform the House that agreement was reached between the Opposition and ourselves in regard to altering the Order of Business announced this morning. The alteration consists in removing item No. 13 from today's Order Paper—this is the Corporation Tax Bill. Otherwise the order is unchanged and the Committee Stage of the Industrial Relations Bill will now resume.
Business of Dáil.
A Special Notice Question which I put down relating to redundancies in the meat-processing plant at Midleton, County Cork, was refused. In view of the fact that yesterday a Special Notice Question of mine relating to redundancies in another meat-processing company was allowed, in an area of Cork where 90 additional jobs are in danger of being lost now——
The Deputy will get the reasons in the answer.
I was given reasons but I do not think they were correct. I would be obliged if the Chair would tell me the difference between the question that was allowed yesterday and the question that is now disallowed.
The Deputy got the answer.
Yes, but I cannot accept it as correct.
I suggest that the Deputy should consult the Ceann Comhairle or the officials in the Ceann Comhairle's office.
I do not think that is fair——
We cannot debate the matter now.
I accept the ruling of the Chair but I demand the right to resubmit the question tomorrow.
The Chair has advised the Deputy to communicate with the Ceann Comhairle or his officials.
The turmoil that took place during Question Time is a matter that should be of concern to both sides of the House. The Chair asked one Deputy on two occasions to leave; he refused to go and no further action was taken. Perhaps I may point out something that has been of grave concern to the Opposition for a long time. In Question No. 11 the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries was asked about the falling-off of milk supplies to the manufacturing creameries——
The Deputy is aware that we cannot discuss this matter at this stage.
I think this is the only time when it is possible to raise this matter. One of my colleagues asked what I considered to be an absolutely relevant and important supplementary question regarding the consequential effect on employment in view of the Minister's answer and he was told he was completely out of order. He was not allowed to put his question. Yet, we are blamed for causing annoyance and turmoil at Question Time. This is a matter that should be seriously examined. We are getting rather worried about it.
The Chair has already suggested ways by which that may be done.
The Chair has absolute control over what constitutes a relevant question and what does not. I should like an explanation why that supplementary question was not relevant.
The Chair has pointed out we cannot debate this matter at this stage.