It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 4, 1, 2, 7, 5, 6, 3 and 9; Votes 45, 46 and 42. By agreement, business will be interrupted at 1 p.m. to take items 1, 2, 7, 5 and 6. They will be brought to a conclusion at 1.30 p.m. and the Order of Business will be resumed thereafter. The remaining items to be taken today, if not previously concluded, will be brought to a conclusion in accordance with the following schedule: No. 4 — Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, 5.30 p.m.; No. 3 — Order for Second Stage and All Stages, 8.30 p.m.; No. 9 — Votes 45 and 46, 10 p.m.; No. 9 — Vote 42, 12 midnight. If a division is demanded on any Estimate it will be taken forthwith.
Order of Business.
May I ask the reason for the Taoiseach's absence this morning—
Please, Deputy——
I ask the Chair to let me finish. We are in the elected House of the Oireachtas. Has the Taoiseach's absence from this House something to do with his advertised participation in a radio chat show, obviously to try to restore his severly tarnished image?
His priority is a chat show.
Does the Taoiseach regard a radio chat show as more important than attending at this House for the Order of Business?
The Deputy is out of order.
Could the Chair guide and direct me?
I would regard the Deputy as sufficiently experienced to guide and direct himself.
Every morning in this House is a new experience and one learns something new each day. However, I have not previously heard of a Taoiseach missing the Order of Business for a radio chat show.
A chat show — the lowest form of entertainment.
I wish to know if the arrangements as outlined for concluding certain items of business are agreed?
Yes.
With the permission of the Chair, I wish to raise on the Adjournment the necessity for the intervention of the Minister for the Environment in the dispute of water inspectors in County Dublin. This is causing pollution of beaches, a danger of fire and an inadequate water supply in County Dublin. I raised this matter yesterday but I did not succeed in getting my question accepted on the Adjournment.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
With the permission of the Chair, I should like to raise on the Adjournment the question of the nation's lack of preparedness in the event of radioactive fall-out and also the question of maritime pollution——
The Deputy should ring up the Pat Kenny chat show. He will get the answer there.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
I am not going to elaborate on what I said but I should like to mention——
I got the Deputy's question.
We should go to RTE and get all the answers.
Order. Deputies who will not allow the Order of Business to proceed should go some place else.
I wish to state——
The Deputy should go on the Pat Kenny Show.
The Leader of Fianna Fáil should not interrupt Deputy Brady.
There was some confusion in the Ceann Comhairle's office as to which portfolio was involved, whether the topic was a matter for the Department of the Environment or the Department of Transport. I should like to mention that it is the direct responsibility of the Department of Defence.
I wish to raise the matter of a number of workers in Weatherglaze Limited who are owed a substantial sum of money in lieu of work they carried out for the company. They are now being forced to the point of taking court proceedings——
Does the Deputy wish to raise the matter on the Adjournment?
Yes.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
With the permission of the Chair I request again to raise on the Adjournment the contents of a reply to Question No. 315 on 30 June concerning nuclear dumping. I have been trying to raise this matter for the past four or five weeks but have failed. It is a serious matter. If dumping by Britain commences again this month——
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
The Deputy should ring Pat Kenny.
It is more serious than that.
Every day there are requests for quite a number of items to be raised on the Adjournment and the Chair can understand that. However, the Chair has to come to a decision between them and he tries to balance fairly the items which will be taken. It might be a good idea if the Party Whips would consider among themselves what items they will request to have raised on the Adjournment. There were 20 items mentioned here this morning and they must all be processed at high pressure in Departments during the day and submitted to my office for decision, whether they are in order or not. That takes time and costs money. It is a suggestion from me, as Ceann Comhairle, that some thought might be given as to how the number of items which have to be considered might be reduced.
Maybe when matters have to be dealt with at high speed in Departments the truth might emerge rather than the polished version handed out when they have more time.
I should like, with your permission, to raise on the Adjournment the reopening of Clondalkin Paper Mills because I do not think the Government have any intention of doing so.
The Chair will communicate with Deputy Lemass.
Some time ago the House was informed that a ministerial task force on drug abuse was established. Could the Minister tell us when the task force will deliver their report and if it will be made available to Deputies?
The report has been drafted and should be submitted to the Government this week.
Would you consider adjourning the House so that we can all listen to the radio?
(Interruptions.)