It is proposed to take Item No. 7, Votes Nos. 41, 35 and 36. By agreement the debate on Vote No. 41, if not previously concluded, will be brought to a conclusion at 5 p.m. today and the Minister for Communications will be called on to conclude not later than 4.40 p.m.
Order of Business.
On the Order of Business, the Order of Business only arises when you have called the Order of Business, Sir. We must have some order on the Order of Business. I want to ask when the Government, in view——
A Cheann Comhairle——
Just a moment——
Otherwise we will stand up before the Taoiseach makes the announcement.
Will the Deputy please let me put a question? Will Deputy De Rossa please resume his seat——
Of course we will always be wrong.
I was going to ask the simple question: are the arrangements regarding today's debate agreed. All right, agreed. There is contention as to which Deputy I should call. I am calling on Deputy O'Kennedy.
I want to ask the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance, in particular, if and when the Government propose to introduce a supplementary budget——
This is not a matter for the Order of Business.
This is very much a matter for the business of this Dáil. When do the Government propose to introduce a supplementary budget in view of the fact that already after three months——
It does not arise on the Order of Business.
——all of their projections are very much out of line.
Furthermore, it is anticipating the debate on the Finance Bill which is before the House.
The Deputy has had his morning dose of fairy stories now.
(Interruptions.)
Order, please.
If the Taoiseach can actually sit back and smile at this and his Minister remain calm while all around——
He smiles at everything.
Will this please be left to the Chair?
This is a matter for the business of the House and the indications are that very soon this House will have to consider a supplementary budget——
I am ruling Deputy O'Kennedy out of order and I am asking him to resume his seat.
A Cheann Comhairle——
No, I am ruling Deputy O'Kennedy out of order on the basis that first of all, it does not arise on the Order of Business and, secondly, it anticipates the debate on a budget which is before the House and the Finance Bill as well.
On a point of clarification, I am not talking about anticipating the debate on the budget, I am inquiring whether the Government will introduce another budget in view of the fact that their figures are clearly out of order.
That is a point Deputy O'Kennedy can validly make on the budget debate or on the Finance Bill but it is certainly not in order on the Order of Business.
When are we going to hear from this Government as to when their figures going wrong in every direction will be corrected?
I must ask Deputy O'Kennedy to resume his seat — I know he will — and I will tell him that I cannot hear him.
A Cheann Comhairle, you can take it that I will but, in doing so, I just want to say that the order in this House is very important but much more important is the state of this nation at present and this Government are sitting back and allowing——
It is very important that a Deputy does not remain on his feet when the Chair is on his feet. I am calling Deputy De Rossa.
Everything is wrong, they have no plan, and they stay calm——
(Interruptions.)
I am calling Deputy De Rossa.
What I want to raise is the question of the items listed on the Order of Business today. The item listed for the schedule for the week had been the debate on the Estimate for the Department of the Taoiseach. But we were informed this morning at 10 o'clock that there was to be a debate on the Estimate for the Department of Communications. It would appear that a lot of people outside this House were aware that this debate would arise today but we had not been so informed. May I ask on what grounds the decision was taken to switch the debates?
I will allow that question.
(Dún Laoghaire): As the House is aware, the schedule of business for the week was not ordered. By way of negotiation with the Opposition — because the Estimate for the Department of Communications had to be passed before the end of March — the main Opposition party kindly agreed to take that Estimate today. That is the reason we had to switch the order.
A Cheann Comhairle, on a point of——
I allowed a question on the Order of Business——
I appreciate that, Sir, but the point is that neither myself nor Deputy Mac Giolla was informed until 10 o'clock this morning — by means of a slip of paper — that this debate was taking place. Yet there were people outside this House who were aware yesterday that this debate was to take place.
The Deputy has made his point and there is nothing more I can do about it. I am calling Deputy Gene Fitzgerald.
Is the Taoiseach aware of a very serious dispute at the Kinsale Head gasfield in Cork and the serious consequences that could result.
The Deputy knows that does not arise.
(Interruptions.)
It is great gas for the people who are concerned. I am sure some of the Deputy's colleagues will be concerned.
Deputy Fitzgerald knows that this is not in order.
I often heard you, Sir, on this side of the House.
That is childish.
It was not childish when you were here. It is the old story of poacher turned gamekeeper.
If I got away with it, good luck to me but I am here to see that you do not get away with it.
I will ask in defiance of the Chair, if necessary, what this lazy Taoiseach and Government are going to do about a very serious dispute in the Cork region other than sit and laugh at it. What will the Minister for Foreign Affairs do about this serious threat to the whole southern region? Will he do his duty?
Please resume your seat, Deputy.
I am asking the Taoiseach for an answer.
I am ordering Deputy Fitzgerald to resume his seat.
How many times on this side of the House did you ask me about dispute after dispute?
That is not in order.
What will the Taoiseach do about it?
I have already told the Deputy he is not in order.
Nothing appears to be in order on the Order of Business unless it is something easy to handle for the Government. There were many times I heard you in this House——
Deputy Fitzgerald is hardly ever in order on the Order of Business.
I resent that comment. If I am not it is because I had a good teacher in you.
Will the Taoiseach confirm the statement in the newspapers that it is intended to invite President Reagan to address the joint Houses of the Oireachtas.
That does not arise on the Order of Business. It is a matter for the House.
No information has been given to Deputies whether this is true. Where do we get the information from?
The Deputy can put down a question about it.
(Dublin North-West): I should like to raise with the Taoiseach the justification of an old man of 79 years being evicted from his home yesterday. Will the Minister make a statement to the House on this matter?
That does not arise on the Order of Business.
(Dublin North-West): He was an old man of 79 years.
Does the Deputy wish to raise this matter on the Adjournment?
(Dublin North-West): Yes.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
When will the Minister accept the tender so that the homegrown timber factory in Fermoy can be reopened? Has his Department become so inefficient——
I am calling Item No. 7.
Many jobs are at risk.
That does not arise on the Order of Business.
I have asked the Minister a very important question. When will the workers get their jobs back?
I have already told the Deputy he is out of order.
I should like to have an opportunity on the Adjournment of the House to correct the misleading and inaccurate statements made by the property manager of Irish Life as reported in this morning's Irish Times regarding Dublin inner city housing.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
On a point of order, I want an answer to my question. It is relevant to my constituency and this is the only forum where I can raise the issue.
The Deputy can raise it another way.
I wish to raise it on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
When is it proposed to introduce the Children's Bill? Will it be one comprehensive Bill or will we have a number of Bills before the House at different times?
It is probable there will be more than one Children's Bill dealing with different aspects. We hope to have the first Children's Bill before the House in this session.
Will it include doing away with Children's allowance as threatened by the Minister for Social Welfare.
No.
The last Fianna Fáil Social Welfare Bill——
We will not touch children's allowance.
We doubled them when we came into office.
The Deputy is becoming more like Scrooge every day. I do not mean verbally either.
In view of the appalling state of the construction industry——
That does not arise on the Order of Business.
The Chair has not even heard my question.
It does not arise because it has fallen flat.
Seán Flanagan will rescue that.
In view of the reply I received from the Minister for the Environment that he was not prepared to receive a deputation from the construction federation in Cork, I wish to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
On a point of order, in response to my query to the Taoiseach about the possible invitation to President Reagan, the Chair said it was a matter for the House. Will the Chair explain how it is a matter for the House and how, as a Member of the House, I can acquaint myself with decisions of the House. Who is the House?
Ask President Reagan.
I do not want to have a discussion about the matter but before such an address can take place it will be necessary for the House to pass a resolution.
No decision has yet been taken?
I have answered the Deputy's question.
Who makes the decision?
This House.
This House makes the decision?
Yes, and presumably the other House also.
So no decision has yet been made.
I said it was a decision of the House, so unless we have all been asleep for some time it has not been made.
So the House has not decided to invite him.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Question No. 3 on yesterday's Order Paper.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the problems of a factory in Donegal, Smailcbhia Teoranta. The Chair was kind enough to allow me to raise this on the Adjournment about six weeks ago. We were told at that time that there would be an answer within a month. Since the Government have exceeded that time I wish to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the question of the pilot scheme in community policing in the Finglas area.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the question of interference with the Oriel fishing vessel in the Irish Sea.
I will communicate with the Deputy.