It is proposed to take Nos. 15, 16 and 3. Private Members' Business shall be No. 30.
Order of Business.
The Minister was given half an hour on radio and television to announce the massive search.
(Interruptions.)
The Deputy is trying to undermine it.
Anything I have to say will be said inside this House, not at a press conference outside.
It is rather a pity that Deputy Barrett's supplementaries usually end up in disorder.
It is a disgrace that——
(Interruptions.)
I seek your advice, Sir, on a matter in relation to the Order of Business this afternoon. It is in regard to Private Members' Time this evening. I have contacted your office in writing but you may not have seen the correspondence because you were in the Chamber. What I am seeking is in accordance with Standing Order 28 of the Orders of this House. I request your permission to move an addendum to the Labour Party amendment, amendment No. 2, to the motion in the name of the Fine Gael Front Bench which is due to be decided in Private Members' Time this evening. The addendum will read as follows: "Dáil Éireann further calls on each party represented in the Dáil to endeavour to co-operate in finding alternative ways of meeting the Government's overall targets, in order to ensure that the pupil/teacher ratio in primary education can be maintained at the same level as heretofore."
I am asking you, Sir, for guidance, You may need some time to consider that and if that is your wish I would wish to see you some time between now and 7 p.m.
I have not seen as yet the submission made by Deputy Spring. It was made in my absence since I occupied this Chair at 2.30 p.m. today. I require time to consider the matter and I will communicate with the Deputy.
When does the Taoiseach propose to publish his rumoured Bill to amend the Extradition Act, 1965? Also, is it true, as has been reported, that the Fianna Fáil Party were briefed on this matter this morning? I ask you, Sir, to indicate whether it is a breach of privilege of the House that some Members of the House are briefed on the contents of a Bill before the Bill is published.
The Bill will be published this afternoon, as soon as possible. In the exercise of my right as Leader of my party I will, as every other party Leader in this House does and has done, brief my party from time to time on any matter I feel sure it should be done.
Of course the Taoiseach has a perfect right to brief his party or, as seems more common these days, to be briefed or debriefed as the case may be by his party.
The Deputy should not be too cocky himself.
The Taoiseach and I will not swap reminiscences. Today the Taoiseach tells us that a Bill is to be published this afternoon, and in the late morning today some Members of the House were given a briefing about the contents of the Bill, in other words, before the Bill is in the House. I submit that that is a straightforward breach of privilege.
It is nothing of the sort.
In relation to the matter Deputy Spring raised, I sought this morning with Deputy Quill to put down an amendment to the Government amendment for the Private Members' motion this evening. I was informed that amendments had to be down on the first day on which the motions were taken. If you are prepared to give consideration to what Deputy Spring suggested, could consideration be given to the form of amendment to the Government amendment also as it might well help to solve the difficulty that has arisen?
(Interruptions.)
Perhaps the Deputy will submit that proposal in writing to me as soon as possible and I will communicate with him.
(Limerick East): Is this the first one?
Order, please.
It has been very interesting for me to watch all the changes in attitudes that have grown up in the last few days——
(Interruptions.)
——and to hear the statement that emanated from the Fine Gael Party at lunch time today.
No doubt Members will have an opportunity to discuss this matter in some depth and in some detail shortly.
I should like to seek your permission to raise on the Adjournment the question of the closure of Messrs. Woodington Limited, Drogheda, the takeover of that company and the disgraceful manner in which the workers have been treated.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to give notice of my desire to raise on the Adjournment the matter of the decision of the Government conveyed to the free legal advice centres through the combat poverty committee on the withdrawal of funding for the coming year, leaving that organisation short of £10,000 and of any direct funding to undertake the voluntary efforts on behalf of the——
I will communicate with the Deputy.
Could I ask the Taoiseach when he proposes to make time available to announce to this House that the member of his Cabinet and the junior Ministers he has requested to resign from their positions on local authorities will so do?
Why not put down a question, Deputy?
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the absence of a Government representative at the remembrance day ceremonies in Enniskillen last week.
I will communicate with the Deputy. Deputy Jim O'Keeffe and Deputy Brendan Griffin are offering.
I want to raise with you a matter under Standing Order 77 which concerns the refusal of the Taoiseach to answer parliamentary questions properly put down to him. I put down a question to him last week asking why he refused to meet the ICMSA at farm talks the previous Friday. He has now transferred that question to the Minister for Agriculture and Food. The question, of course, is now ludicrous because——
The Chair has no control over such matters.
I want to raise with you under Standing Order 77 the propriety of the Taoiseach in taking that course of action, in refusing to come into this House——
I repeat, I have no control over that.
If the rules of this House do not ensure that the Taoiseach will come in and answer questions properly put to him, I want the matter raised.
That is the Deputy's prerogative. The Chair has not and never had control over such matters.
I am asking you to have the matter raised as chairman of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges.
The Deputy should take the initiative on that matter himself or his representatives on that committee.
I am taking the initiative by asking you as chairman of the committee.
Last Wednesday afternoon I attempted to raise by Private Notice Question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs the UNICEF report published that day but the Chair, in his wisdom, decided that it had not the urgency of a Private Notice Question. I accept your ruling on that. I now request that I be allowed to raise it on tomorrow's Adjournment in anticipation that there will not be time this evening in view of the many votes that will take place.
That is a matter that must be raised on the day in question. I shall consider it for tonight only. If you wish it to be considered for tomorrow night it must be raised tomorrow.
May I ask the Taoiseach if the Government propose to take any action following the recent claim by members of the veterinary profession regarding the possible excess use of hormones found in animals slaughtered in the country?
That is hardly a question.
(Interruptions.)
Last Wednesday I pointed out that I put down a question to the Taoiseach involving the payment of ransom, or attempted payment of ransom, in the O'Grady case. I asked you to investigate the circumstances in which that question which was specifically put to the Taoiseach was transferred to the Minister for Justice.
I can only give the same reply as I gave to Deputy O'Keeffe. I have no control over such matters at all.
Surely this is——
In a free democracy the Prime Minister answers questions in the Parliament of the country.
(Interruptions.)
In relation to Question No. 9 on last Thursday's Order Paper the Minister for Communications was unable to communicate because the translation system on the far side was inoperable. Could I ask the Taoiseach to refer this matter to his enthusiastic Minister of State so that the Minister concerned will be able to communicate properly with a workable translation system on that side of the House?
The Deputy was delighted with the answer.
I put down a question to the Taoiseach about the role and function of the Attorney General in relation to extradition and it was transferred to the Minister for Justice. It is my understanding that the Attorney General, as the law officer to the Government, is answerable in the House through the Taoiseach. Am I correct on that?
It is not a function for the Chair. It is not a matter for the Chair.
With your permission I should like to raise on the Adjournment the contradictory statements of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Justice about yesterday's search. The Minister for Justice said it was planned before the last meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference. The Minister for Foreign Affairs in Brussels yesterday said it was planned at the meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference.
It was not planned at all — that is the trouble.
(Interruptions.)
(Limerick East): Will the Minister tell the House what has been found.
May I raise on the Adjournment the danger to public health arising from the cutbacks in supplies of anti-flu serums to GPs to such an extent that they are inadequate to deal with the demand of medical card holders who are elderly and also children?
I will communicate with the Deputy. At some stage will the House allow me to proceed with the Order of Business proper?
May I ask the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he intends to make time available in this House to discuss the very serious findings and implications in the recent Price Waterhouse report?
In the area of promised legislation I told the Minister I would again raise the question this week of the building by-law legislation which was promised following on the report on the gas explosion in Raglan House. It has been promised shortly, very shortly and imminently. Can the Minister say precisely when we will have the Bill?
The Deputy will not be disappointed. It will be shortly; this term.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the question of the substantial reduction of funding to ACOT and AFT by 44 per cent and the redundancies arising.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I should like to ask the Minister for the Environment when the homeless persons legislation will be brought into the House?
It is hoped to introduce it during this session.
On Christmas Eve.
By way of clarification, since the Government's position is now one of hope rather than intention there has been some slippage in relation to this. The Minister may wish to rephrase the answer. My understanding, subject to correction, was that it was the Government's intention to bring in the legislation.
It is the hope and intention.
Is there a difference where the Taoiseach is concerned?
No.
Like Deputy Mitchell, Deputy Quinn will not be disappointed.