I move: "That Deputy Connolly be suspended from the service of the Dáil."
Suspension of Member.
If anyone is bringing this House into disrepute, you are by this decision.
I cannot let you away with this.
It is what I feel anyway.
On a point of order, you ordered Deputy Connolly to resume his seat and he did so as you turned to the Minister. I think in the circumstances, a Cheann Comhairle, you should reconsider your decision.
I am sorry, I would——
Can we forget about it?
I cannot forget about it. I am being abused here day after day and the Chair is being ridiculed and, for the record, I want to say that I saw the Chief Whip appealing to him to resume his seat and he would not resume his seat.
On a point of order, Deputy Connolly had just resumed his seat.
I am putting the question.
There is no reason for this.
There should not be, but there is. I am putting the question that Deputy Connolly be suspended from the service of the Dáil.
Question: "That Deputy Connolly be suspended from the service of the Dáil" put and declared carried.
Deputy Connolly withdrew from the Chamber.
This is a lot of nonsense and you cannot run a Parliament like this.
Could I ask the indulgence of the Chair for permission to raise this matter on the Adjournment?
I will communicate with the Deputy.
On a point of order, I regret very much that you have had to take this action two days in a row.
You do not regret it as much as I do.
This was totally unnecessary. This afternoon your action was not absolutely necessary. I agree that it went to the very borderline.
It was not necessary at all.
Deputy Connolly had resumed his seat as requested before he was named.
I will have to adjourn the House if you cannot respect the Chair. If Deputies have no confidence in the Chair, if they want to take action against the Chair, there is a well defined way of doing it and they should adopt it. The Chair will not have any objection.
We will have to do that.
With all due respect to the Chair, you should not be waving that stick in the House week after week. Deputy Connolly had resumed his seat as requested. Therefore, according to Standing Orders, he had resumed his seat before he was named.
It is not in order to discuss my ruling in the House.
That is unfortunate, because you will not get the co-operation of the House that way, a Cheann Comhairle.