On a point of order, can the Ceann Comhairle tell the House why a Private Notice Question put down by Deputy Tom O'Donnell, Deputy Willie O'Brien and me asking the Minister for Labour if he would intervene in and make a statement on the threatened closure of the Ferenka plant was ruled out of order by you and whether the reason given by your office that this is an inter-union dispute has your authority or did it emanate from the Minister's Office?
Business of Dáil.
The Decision of the Chair in matters of this kind is not a matter for discussion and it is disorderly to seek to discuss it but, since the Deputy is new to the House, I want to make my position clear.
Would the Ceann Comhairle not think it is a matter of urgent public importance?
There is a recognised way of having a debate on a ruling by the Chair, namely, by way of substantive motion. In view of the fact that Deputy Mitchell is new to the House I shall tell him that I have carefully considered the issues raised by the Deputy's question in relation to the possible closing of the Ferenka factory in Limerick. I am deliberately making this statement. Would the Deputy please resume his seat until I have finished? I ascertained that protective notice was given to the workers on Monday, 17th October to run for a period of two weeks from then. The Deputy, there-fore, has ample time to put down a question on ordinary notice for Tuesday next. Accordingly, the private notice question is not admissible. I should also add that one of the questions which I must take into consideration in coming to a decision of this kind—and I am in no way influenced by any particular person's interest nor have I discussed it with any of the interested people—is the Minister's responsibility and since this is an inter-union dispute it appears to me that the Minister has not a direct, immediate responsibility. I make that long statement, which is unusual, for the benefit of new Deputies including the Deputy who is raising this matter. I shall not allow any further debate now.
I am very thankful for your explanation. You refer very kindly to my inexperience in this House. I thought your ruling was related to your inexperience in the Chair. I wish to give notice now that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment.
I shall communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise one matter before we go to the next item of business. It relates to an ordinary number of questions which I had hoped would appear on the Order Paper today. I put down two questions in regard to the types of festivals held in Ireland and the number of such festivals. I wanted to elicit information from the Minister for Transport and Tourism about this matter so as to learn whether some kind of national festival might be envisaged by his Department.
Would the Deputy please come to the point? He is getting away with a nice little speech on something which I am not sure is at all relevant.
Normally, the Chair would inform a Deputy if a question had been disallowed. I have received no communication of that kind and I wondered if it had been overlooked. I raise the matter because there was a cutback of £23,500 in the case of the Dublin Theatre Festival this year. I felt this was a matter that required discussion in the House.
If the Deputy is seeking information about why a question was turned down, I shall be glad to receive him in my office at any time and discuss it with him—or any other Deputy. We cannot have a debate now on something which is not on the Order Paper. It would only make a mockery of the House and of Question Time if we allowed these things to continue. The Deputy would like to be a Member of a House where due decorum would be observed and I am seeking his co-operation in trying to ensure that.
I can assure you you will have my co-operation at all times in regard to the orderly running of the House but I would ask for a specific reply either in writing or orally about this matter.
I shall give you all the information I can about it.