It is proposed to take No. 10 and Private Members' Business will be No. 25 (resumed).
Order of Business.
I should like to remind Deputies that when proceedings on item No. 25 have been concluded, the postponed division on the Vote for Roinn na Gaeltachta will be taken.
I know it is regarded as impertinent from this side of the House to ask what the Taoiseach is supposed to be doing in the United States of America. Therefore, suitably chastened, I shall not pursue that. I have learned the lesson that it is out of order for anyone to dare to question what the Taoiseach is doing jaunting around the United States for two weeks. I accept that. However, now that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foregin Affairs are here, would it be possible — I ask very diffidently — to have placed on the Table of the House or supplied to Deputies in some other way the agenda of the Bilderberg Conference which the Taoiseach is attending this weekend?
I thought I made it clear that the scope of the Order of Business, as provided in Standing Orders, is very limited and I have outlined it. I have no intention of allowing the Order of Business to be used or made a launching pad or a reception area for intercontinental missiles.
We accept that and know that you are a peaceful man. The very fact that the Taoiseach is probably talking about intercontinental ballistic missiles is worrying me.
It is just chagrin on the part of Deputy Haughey.
Why does the Minister not close a few more hospital beds? He is very busy dismantling the health service.
(Interruptions.)
I must be doing damage when this offensive Minister for Health finds it necessary to intervene. Surely it is reasonable on the Order of Business to ask that certain documents should be placed on the Table of the House?
That only applies to documents which have been promised.
That is an entirely new ruling.
It is not a new ruling.
The Taoiseach is in America attending an important conference and I am only asking for documentation to be supplied to Deputies. Could the Minister for Foreign Affairs enlighten us? This is a secret conference, these are secret documents and the House will not have access to them.
I am reluctant to rise——
The Minister should have resisted the temptation.
As the House knows, I have seldom done so in the position which I occupy. However, on a serious note, Deputy Haughey has many years of experience and is an ex-Taoiseach——
Deputies
And a future Taoiseach.
Is it in order for matters to be raised by Members on the Order of Business in relation to the activities of the Taoiseach while he is abroad?
Of course, it is. The Minister should take a running jump at himself.
Would it not be in order to wait until the person in question has returned home and to ensure that the representative of the nation has the full support of the people——
(Interruptions.)
I have ruled all this out of order and I ask for co-operation.
You have given permission, contrary to precedent, for a Minister to intervene on the Order of Business.
There is nothing to prevent him doing so.
The Ceann Comhairle has given the Minister permission to talk about the Taoiseach's visit abroad.
Deputy Haughey has already spoken about this and I am not allowing any more reference to it.
The intervention by the Minister for Labour is completely out of order and context——
The Chair will decide what is out of order.
I submit that you have given undue latitude to the Minister in this matter. You permitted him to talk about something which I was prevented from talking about.
The Chair does not think so.
The Taoiseach saw fit to criticise this party in the United States and if that is not partisan, what is?
When will legislation be introduced for the setting up of the National Lottery? Have the Government decided whether the new or the old wing of Fine Gael will get this star prize?
I will allow that question.
(Interruptions.)
Deputy Reynolds should relax. This is not the Kentucky Derby.
I appeal to Members to treat the House and each item of business seriously. We are now dealing with the Order of Business and the way it is brought into ridicule is not doing the House or democracy any good.
The Tánaiste mentioned the Kentucky Derby.
I was merely reflecting the pace of the Deputy's questions. In regard to the National Lottery, we hope to have legislation introduced before the session ends or, if not, in the autumn. I assure the Deputy there will be no delay. I will not answer any jibes or barbs in relation to which wing of any party will have influence on the lottery.
It is down to two at this stage.
Do the Government propose to bring forward legislation in relation to direct satellite broadcasting? Can the Minister indicate the reason for the delay in the allocation of the contract for direct satellite broadcasting? Will he confirm that the closing date for receipt of tenders was extended to facilitate the late tender by the Independent Newspapers led group?
I have allowed a question.
Will the Minister confirm that Ireland's interests will be taken into consideration by the allocation of the contract to RTE and the Telecom group and not to the Fine Gael group who applied for the licence?
I will allow a general question about legislation but only that.
I am not aware that any legislation was promised in relation to the matter the Deputy referred to. I will ask the Minister for Communications to confer with Deputy Leyden if there is any legislation promised in this area.
Will the Minister indicate the reason the tendering date was extended and will he confirm that Deputy Jim Mitchell is involved in the Independent Newspapers led group in relation to this contract?
I am not allowing that question.
I asked the Chair to allow me to raise on the Adjournment yesterday the question of Regina v. Maguire. I am asking if the Chair will give serious consideration to this very urgent matter.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I should like to point out——
I do not want——
I am not going to say anything.
Then sit down.
There is a misprint in the question. It states "Regina Maguire" but it is Regina v. Maguire.
I appreciate that.
It is a serious blunder.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the proposed closure of Scoil Ard Mhuire in Lusk.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the question of the failure of the Government to require hundreds of people convicted before the courts to serve some of their sentence in prison.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
This is the fourth occasion on which I have made this request.
I am coming up behind you, Jim.
I know the feeling. I wish to raise on the Adjournment the question of the reduction in sailings to and from Rosslare and the resulting job losses in that area.
I will communicate with the Deputy. I would remind him that he had a matter on the Adjournment yesterday.
Has the Minister for Foreign Affairs initiated any discussions with the American immigration authorities about the large number of illegal Irish immigrants in the United States?