It is proposed to take item No. 1. At the conclusion of business today the Dáil will adjourn until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 2 November 1983.
Order of Business.
A Cheann Comhairle——
Is the proposal to adjourn at the conclusion of business today until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday next agreed? It is agreed. Deputy John O'Leary.
On the question of whether when the House adjourns——
Deputy O'Leary was called.
I understand from Deputy De Rossa that he wants to say something about the adjournment until Wednesday.
Yes.
(Interruptions.)
The Chair is quite capable of looking after this matter. The Chair understood——
On a point of order, in the hearing of everybody present you had called Deputy O'Leary and normally, that being done, the Chair does not change his mind.
The Chair will clarify the position. I wanted to get agreement on the adjournment until Wednesday. I asked if that was agreed and I understood it was. I then called Deputy John O'Leary because he had been on his feet about another matter before that. Then Deputy De Rossa made it clear that he wanted to intervene regarding the adjournment.
We did not hear it.
The Chair did.
There should be no prior arrangements.
There was no prior arrangement on the question of the House adjourning until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. I wish to find out why this is necessary and to object to the fact that the Dáil will be losing one-and-a-half days of time. It will not be resuming until 2.30 p.m. and business is normally taken from 10.30 a.m.
The Dáil will be meeting 24 hours later than normal next week in accordance with normal practice when there is a public holiday on a Monday. This has been the practice of the House within living memory, if not since the foundation of the State. The Deputy may not be aware of that.
Question "That on rising today the Dáil do adjourn until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 2 November 1983" put and declared carried.
On a point of order, I would ask the Taoiseach to state which of his Ministers deliberately issued a completely untrue, false and misleading statement to the media stating that——
That is not a point of order.
——while Fianna Fáil were in Government they were proposing to dispose of the CIE hotels.
(Interruptions.)
There was no Government decision.
It is completely untrue.
Deputy O'Leary is right.
It is not a point of order.
Another statement from the ministry of lies. One of these days black will be officially declared white.
(Interruptions.)
The position is that the intervention by Deputy O'Leary is not in order and I am not going to have a discussion on it.
Am I entitled to reply to the accusation that false and misleading statements have been made and, if not, will you ask them to be withdrawn?
Will Deputy O'Leary resume his seat.
I want the Taoiseach to say——
If Deputy O'Leary does not resume his seat I will have to ask him to leave the House and I do not want to do that. I am asking Deputy O'Leary to resume his seat and observe the order of the House.
On a point of order——
It is not a point of order.
Can the House give any protection against the issuing of misleading statements?
If Deputy O'Leary wants to raise something, there is an orderly way of doing so and I appeal to him to do so or resume his seat.
(Interruptions.)
I am asking Deputy O'Leary to resume his seat.
Mr. Leonard
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the drainage of the River Fane.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
Could I ask the Taoiseach, as I asked him last week, if he will now endeavour to get the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry to make a statement to the House on the breakdown of the fisheries council talks, the consequence of which has been the discontinuation——
I will not hear a statement from Deputy Daly.
It has meant a loss of £2 million. Could I ask if the Minister is going to make a statement about the whole issue?
I am very disturbed about the procedure. As I understand it, if a Deputy accuses another of making false and misleading statements, he is entitled to the protection of the Chair. I have asked you to ask that the statement be withdrawn or that I be given the opportunity to reply. I should also like to say that the Minister will be happy to show to Deputy Wilson a copy of the relevant Government decision.
(Interruptions.)
Another bluff.
This is a disgrace, I will have to adjourn the House and both sides are to blame. To clear up this matter once and for all, in so far as Deputy O'Leary's intervention was concerned, it was a disorderly intervention. The Chair only heard something about hotels; he did not hear the details and he tried to stop Deputy O'Leary from speaking and that is that.
My intervention was one of national importance.
I am naming Deputy O'Leary and I am asking the Taoiseach to move his suspension.
(Interruptions.)