Vol. 302 No. 6
It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 3, 8 (resumed), 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11. Private Members' Business will be taken from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m., No. 13 (resumed).
It is proposed that the House will not meet tomorrow morning until 11.30 a.m.
Could I ask the Taoiseach what time he proposes to make the customary statement on the European Council Meeting in Brussels?
I was thinking, sir, that in view of the debate on the Adjournment being so close I might include it in my opening statement so that not only the party leaders but Deputies, if they wish, could make comments on the situation.
It has been customary for the Taoiseach, at the earliest opportunity, to report to the House.
Yes, but that is not necessarily a precedent one must follow. I have no objection to giving it earlier but I thought it might be more useful to the House generally. I will think about it if the Deputy has any objection.
I would not like to see the precedent broken in this respect. If a statement is made it can, of course, be the subject of discussion in a subsequent debate; it does not preclude that.
I will think about it.
On the Order of Business, I wonder would the Taoiseach—in order to allow a more full and informed discussion on Private Members' Time this evening on the Ferenka affair—make available to the House today the full text of the offer made by Ferenka to the Government for taking over the firm?
I do not think it is relevant to the discussion.
With respect, sir, it is totally relevant. The Order of Business includes the discussion this evening. I am asking the question to allow and facilitate the House to have a full and informed discussion on the matter. Therefore, how the Chair could rule it is not relevant is beyond me.
The Deputy is actually seeking an extension of Private Members' Time.
I am not seeking an extension of Private Members' Time. I am asking for documentation which would allow the House to have a more full and informed discussion on the whole affair to be made available to Deputies. It was announced last evening by the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy that a written offer was given to him, as a Member of the Government, by the parent firm of Ferenka on 23rd November last. If the full text—parts of which were quoted by the Minister in the discussion last evening—was made available to the House it would allow the House to have a more informed and beneficial discussion for the remainder of the debate.
I have no notice of this question. I suggest that the Deputy raise it with the Whips later.
With respect, sir, the question quite obviously is appropriate to the Order of Business. I am asking the Taoiseach if he will make this agreement available.
I understand that the Minister gave the relevant details of that offer to the House last evening. I do not see that any purpose would be served by making the full document available.
The Minister quoted small, selective sections——
I am not going into a debate on this now.
We cannot have a debate on it now.
If the Minister quoted last evening from the agreement surely there can be no objection to making the full text of the agreement available to the House.
I have told Deputy Cluskey to raise the matter. We cannot have any further discussion on it; that is fully understandable.
Am I to take it that the Government are not prepared to make the text of the offer available to the House?
The Deputy has all the information needed for the purpose of a full debate, as he suggested.
Except the text of the offer which was made.
If it is not made available we shall have to draw our own conclusions.
There is nothing sinister about it, as Deputy FitzGerald seems to think; he can be quite satisfied.
There was a massive concealment by the Government regarding the closure of the factory——
There was a massive intent on the part of the previous Government to avoid their responsibility for allowing a situation like this to develop in Ferenka. The Deputy has been on his feet for the past five minutes: may I suggest to him that the purpose of this exercise is to try to throw blame on this Government and not on the last Government who sat idly by——
——and let a situation develop in Ferenka, as it did. I am not going to debate this any further.
I will not allow any further discussion on this. Item No. 3.
