It is proposed to take items Nos. 1 and 11.
Order of Business.
What action does the Taoiseach propose to take to save pig farmers from total extinction during the present serious financial difficulty the industry is facing?
Deputy O'Keeffe will find another way——
This is the only forum open to me to raise such a major issue. The industry is about to die.
The point is that this forum is not open to the Deputy.
I should like to ask the Taoiseach if it is proposed to bring forward legislation which was announced by the previous Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism regarding amending the Insurance Act particularly in relation to car insurance.
I do not have that information. I apologise to the Deputy and will ensure that it is made available to him within the hour.
I wish to raise the matter of a statement which the Minister for Health made last night in the House relating to the embargo on the employment of dentists in health boards. His statement directly contradicted a reply——
Is the Deputy giving notice that he wishes to raise this matter on the Adjournment?
No, I am looking for advice on how I can get the Minister to make a truthful statement to the House.
My advice is that it is out of order now.
How can I get the Minister for Health to make a truthful statement to the House?
There is an implication in what the Deputy is saying that the Minister for Health made an untrue statement. That is disorderly and the Deputy will withdraw the allegation.
Two statements were made by the Minister for Health one of which contradicts the other.
Before the Deputy proceeds further he will withdraw the allegation which he has made by implication that the Minister made an untruthful statement. As the Chair understands it, not only is it disorderly now but it is a repetition of a disorderly statement which the Deputy made yesterday and for which he was called upon to leave the House.
I am simply trying to ensure that the Minister can come into the House and clarify the position.
As far as the Chair is concerned the Deputy is usually an orderly Deputy and is not unhelpful. However, I cannot allow him to stand over the statement he made this morning that the Minister for Health made an untruthful statement. He will either withdraw that now or leave the House.
My work is inside the House and not outside it. If it will help the Ceann Comhairle, I will say that it appears to be untruthful.
The Deputy will withdraw the allegation.
On the basis that I wish to stay in the House in order to pursue the matter.
The Deputy will withdraw without qualification the allegation that the Minister for Health made an untruthful statement.
I regret I am not in a position to withdraw that statement because the facts——
Deputy De Rossa will leave the House for the remainder of the day.
Deputy De Rossa withdrew from the Chamber.
I wish to raise a matter which is of utmost importance to the House. It is in relation to a question I asked in the House yesterday. I was given information by a Minister despite the fact that completely contradictory information was given elsewhere.
That is not in order now.
I am accusing a Minister of misleading the House.
Will the Deputy please bear with the Chair for a moment? We deal in this House with between one question and, on rare occasions, 40 questions per day. We could not have a situation in which each of those questions or a great proportion of them would be raised in some way the following morning. If the Deputy wishes to make a charge against the Minister or against any Member of the Government there is a prescribed way of doing so, but he is not in order now.
I am asking for your advice and guidance.
If the Deputy comes to my room, I will give him the advice he requires.
I am asking for your advice here in the House. One of the basic principles of the House and of our democracy has been breached by a Minister and I am calling for that Minister's resignation.
The Deputy is being disorderly.
If you and the Minister and the Taoiseach realised the facts, you would treat the matter differently.
On a point of information——
There is no such point as a point of information.
On a point of order, I am asking for guidance. If a Minister, in replying to a parliamentary question, gives information which is different from information he had given earlier on the same day to a Deputy of his own party, what is the Deputy who got the wrong information to do?
There are allegations contained in that question.
I am asking for a direction that will assist us on this side of the House.
I am very concerned about this.
While the Chair is on his feet the Deputy should remain seated. I refer Deputy Gallagher to Standing Orders.
As one elected to this House I am very concerned about this matter and I ask for your guidance as to how I might address the Dáil on it. Are you prepared to give the Minister the opportunity of making a personal statement in the House?
The Chair is anxious that there are no scenes in the House and he does not wish to have to invoke Standing Orders.
This is one of the most serious matters to arise in the House during my time here.
I am asking the Deputy to resume his seat. I refer him in a general way to Standing Orders. If he wishes to discuss any Standing Order with me he may do so in my office but it is not in order to do so here.
(Interruptions.)
Order, please.
I have the utmost respect for the Chair.
On the question of Standing Orders, I understand that Deputy Gallagher's concern arises from his having been given in the House information which was in direct contrast with information issued earlier on the same subject.
I am asking Deputy Tunney as a previous occupier of this Chair if he thinks it is commonsense to come here and confront the Chair with a statement like that without there being any opportunity of considering it.
I am concerned that commonsense should prevail but I am much more concerned about order in the House. If a Deputy claims he has information to lead him to believe that a Minister misled the House, surely the matter is one for you and for the House and not for my commonsense.
There are other ways of dealing with the matter. It is not appropriate for the Order of Business.
We are well aware of that but we would like your advice here in the House.
I am calling item No. 1.
(Interruptions.)
Order, please.
When you become aware fully of the facts in this case you will realise that even your suggestion that I be removed from the House is one of the worst you could make. You have not given me any guidance yet.
The Deputy could very well force from the Chair a decision to have him removed.
I have no intention of forcing any such decision.
If the Deputy does not remain orderly the Chair will have no alternative but to invoke Standing Orders though the Chair does not wish to do that.
I spoke last evening with Deputy Gallagher about this matter and he seems to have a great amount of right on his side. What happened is an absolute disgrace. Would you agree to meet both the Deputy and myself afterwards because it is only fair that the matter be investigated? What happened was that Deputy Gallagher asked a question——
I would prefer that the Deputy did not proceed with that.
It would be very serious if what happened yesterday were to become a practice in the House.
The Minister should resign.
The Minister for the Gaeltacht is exposed also.
He is caught again.
(Interruptions.)
I will call for Deputy Haughey.
What about the sports centre at Knock?
There seems to be a concerted effort to obstruct the business of the House and that effort is coming from several Deputies at the one time. I have made several efforts to have item No. 1 dealt with and I am asking the House to let the business proceed.
The Government are being disorderly.