It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 4, 8 (Vote 44, resumed), 9 (resumed), 10, 8 (Votes 18, 19, 20, 36, 46, 39, resumed), 11 and 12. Private Members' Business from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. will be item No. 18 (resumed).
Order of Business.
On the Order of Business, could I ask the Taoiseach if he will be reporting back to the Dáil on the recent Summit meeting and, if so, when?
I suggest tomorrow morning, if that will suit.
Yes, it will.
On the Order of Business, I understand that the expenditure on the school transport system has exceeded the moneys allocated to it in the last budget. Will there be a supplementary estimate moved this year, before Christmas?
That is not on the Order of Business.
I am asking if the supplementary estimate will be moved.
On the Order of Business, could I ask the Taoiseach when it is intended to honour the already broken undertaking in the national understanding to publish a White Paper on Education on 17 November?
That date is wrong. Check it.
That is not on the Order of Business, either, Deputy.
That is the wrong date.
Could I ask the Ceann Comhairle why he has taken the unprecedented step of removing from the Order Paper the Agricultural (Emergency Provisions) Bill? Could I ask him, further, if there is any precedent at all in this House for the Ceann Comhairle, on his own initiative, removing from the Order Paper a Bill which he himself had ordered to be printed?
Can I say, first of all, Deputy, that it is not in order to raise this matter. I have already communicated with the Deputy and have given him the reasons, both orally and in writing, as to why the Bill was removed.
Would the Ceann Comhairle not agree that it is not a matter of private interest between himself and myself but a matter of public importance, and that if he takes an unprecedented procedural step of removing a Bill from the Order Paper of the entire House, he has an obligation to the entire House to explain why he has taken such a step?
I have already explained to the Deputy what the situation is. On a preliminary examination, the Bill appeared to be one which the Deputy could proceed with under Standing Orders and it was circulated and put on the Order Paper on that basis. However, it later became evident that the main object of the Bill was the appropriation of revenue or other public moneys——
That is not true.
——in the sum of a very considerable number of millions of pounds. Standing Order 119 (1) provides that such a Bill can be initiated only by a member of the Government. It would not, therefore, be in order for the Deputy to proceed with the Bill and the Bill was deleted from the Order Paper.
Would the Ceann Comhairle not agree that as stated in the long title, the main purpose of this Bill was to make provision in relation to finance in regard to agricultural prices and that it is a most unfortunate situation that the House is being prevented by the decision of the Ceann Comhairle——
I am not going to allow any further argument on this. I have already explained this on many occasions to the Deputy and the Deputy knows perfectly well what the situation is.
I wish to say that we will not be frustrated from ensuring that the specific matter of this Bill is discussed in this House and voted upon before Christmas. The Government will not get off the hook in this matter.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
The Ceann Comhairle has explained clearly why he removed the Bill from the Order Paper. Item No. 4.
It never happened before. He never explained to the House.
I have explained to the House.
(Interruptions.)
How can a Bill be in order one day and not in order another day?
I am not going to continue to argue on this matter.
The Ceann Comhairle should give the House an explanation. It is entitled to one.
I have given an explanation. I have repeatedly stated the reason to the House.
He has told me before, but he has not told the House and that is not an explanation.
I have repeated the reason here in the House. Item No. 4.
I want to ask a question on the Order of Business. On the assumption that the Dáil will reassemble after Christmas towards the end of January, which is less than eight weeks away could I inquire which member of the Government is in charge of the preparation of the 1981 Budget?
That does not arise on the Order of Business.
The Order of Business is supposed to be the traditional time to make general topical inquiries.
It is not. I have already explained, on quite a number of occasions, what can be raised on the Order of Business.
So the Minister for Finance having taken the Ministry of the Department of Finance unto himself for the last year——
The Deputy is now making a statement. Item No. 4.
——has been sent to Brussels and is now reporting over there——
Deputy Collins, on a point of order.
Could the Ceann Comhairle explain to the House why he accepted a Private Member's Bill as being in order on one day and not in order on another?
That is totally disorderly. I am proceeding now to Item No. 4.
I am inquiring as to who is in charge of the budget.
Is Item No. 4 agreed?
No.
It is not agreed.
(Interruptions).
Do not make it necessary for me to put this formally to the House.
There are other Deputies waiting to speak on points of order on the Order of Business. They should be allowed to do this.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
Provided that they are in order, they can raise them.
On the Order of Business, following on the question from Deputy Cluskey asking the Taoiseach to report to the House on the summit meeting, would the Taoiseach indicate to the House, when he says that he made the Government's position clear to Mrs. Thatcher——
This does not arise on the Order of Business.
I am asking the Taoiseach to inform the House as to how he made the position of his Government clear to Mrs. Thatcher.
The Deputy may be asking the Taoiseach, but it does not arise on the Order of Business. Is item No. 4 agreed?
The Taoiseach has no right to give any undertaking.