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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 30 Jun 1988

Vol. 382 No. 11

Order of Business.

I regret that the Taoiseach is indisposed this morning and in the circumstances arrangements have been made for the Minister for the Environment to read the Taoiseach's speech.

It is proposed to take No. 10.

It is also proposed that the Votes shall be taken together for the purposes of debate; that a general debate may arise thereon; that the proceedings shall be brought to a conclusion by one question which shall be put from the Chair and the following arrangements shall apply:

(1) The first Government speaker shall not exceed 1 hour.

(2) The speech of the main spokesperson nominated by each of the Groups (as defined in Standing Order 89 (1) (a) in Opposition shall not exceed 40 minutes.

(3) The speech of each other Member called on shall not exceed 15 minutes.

(4) A Member of the Government shall be called on not later than 4.45 p.m. to conclude the debate.

It is further proposed that at the conclusion of business today, the Dáil shall adjourn until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 19 October 1988.

May I add that the Taoiseach has asked the Government Chief Whip to request a meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges with a view to the Dáil Chamber being made available for committee meetings during the Summer recess.

Here may I ask if the proposals for dealing with No. 10 are agreed? Agreed.

On the proposals——

On which proposals?

On the first proposals, to deal with the allocation of time. An bhfuil sé intuigthe go mbeidh díospóireacht do Mheastachán Roinn na Gaeltachta mar chuid den díospóireacht nó an mbeidh, mar shampla, an tAire Stáit ag Roinn an Taoisigh, an Teachta Denis Gallagher, taobh istigh den teorainn 15 nóiméad. Dar ndóigh beidh díospóireacht faoi Mheastachán Roinn na Gaeltachta ag tosnú taréis órádí na bpríomh chainteoirí. An cheist atá agam ná cé mhéid ama a bheidh ar fáil don urlabhraí ar chúrsaí Ghaeltachta? Tá brón orm nach bhfuil an Taoiseach i láthair, ach an mbeidh 15 nóiméad nó níos mó ag an Aire Stáit agus cé mhéid ama a bheidh ag na hurlabhraíthe eile faoi chúrsaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta?

The order states quite clearly that the first speaker will have an hour and that the speaker will now be the Minister for the Environment, which will introduce the matter in relation to the Gaeltacht Vote. The Minister of State at Roinn na Gaeltachta, Deputy Denis Gallagher, will then speak as one of the Government speakers.

Is the proposal for dealing with Item No. 10 agreed to? Agreed.

Proinsias De Rossa rose.

On Item No. 10, Deputy? No? May I clear the issue? I declare therefore that the proposal for dealing with Item No. 10 has been agreed to.

Could I ask if you are dealing, a Cheann Comhairle, with sub-items Nos. (1), (2), (3) and (4) in your question? I misunderstood your position.

I want to raise an objection.

The proposals that I am putting to the House are in respect of the taking of Item No. 10, Estimates for Public Services.

If you get agreement on Item No. 10, are you therefore assuming that you have agreement on Item Nos. (1), (2), (3) and (4)? I want to object to Item No. (2).

Item No. (2), the speech of the main spokesperson. I take it then that Item Nos. (1), (3) and (4) are agreed to and that Deputy De Rossa objects to Item No. (2).

I wish to make some comments in relation to No. (2).

I shall hear at this stage a succinct statement from the Deputy.

This is a succinct statement.

The Deputy may speak in greater detail on the debate which is about to ensue.

I appreciate that. Item No. (2) is worded specifically to exclude The Workers' Party from having a speaker for 40 minutes. It is a petty manoeuvre. I shall leave it at that and deal with the matter in my speech of 15 minutes which I have been allocated through the generosity, not only of the Fianna Fáil party, but of the Fine Gael, Progressive Democrats and Labour Party Whips.

Can I now declare that proposals for dealing with Item No. 10 are agreed? Agreed. The next question is if the proposals for dealing with the Adjournment of the Dáil are agreed to.

We were still not informed at 10 o'clock this morning of what the adjournment date was. My Whip wrote to you at that time to say that we would propose to delete the date, on the assumption that it would be some date in October, and substitute the date of 13 September.

I wish to raise a point in relation to the Dáil adjourning until 19 October. I tried a number of times yesterday to find out the proposed date for the resumption of the Dáil and I was told, at 8.15 p.m. last night, that the date would be known when we received the Order of Business today. However, I did not receive the Order of Business until 10.25 a.m. today just as the bell began to ring for the House to assemble. I had proposed to put down an amendment but, in the time available, it was not possible to do that. I had proposed to amend the date to 6 September because three months is far too long, given the amount of legislation which the House has to deal with and the way Deputies have had to sit late into the night during the last three or four weeks to pass legislation on the basis of no debates and guillotine. It is an unsatisfactory way of dealing with the business of this House to have it going into recess for three months when there is so much legislation to be dealt with.

During my 20 years in the House, comments have been made about when the Dáil should resume after the summer recess. However, anybody who has been watching the performance of this House over the past number of months will recognise that a record number of Bills has been passed——

As a result of guillotine and no debates.

It is important to state that on numerous occasions, by agreement of the Government, the main Opposition and other Whips, all this legislation was put through. On numerous occasions, the time laid out was not required because of the absence of contributions from the Progressive Democrats and The Workers' Party——

Deputies

Hear, hear.

We spoke on every Bill.

At least we let our members speak.

(Interruptions.)

To resolve the matter appertaining to the Adjournment of the House, I am now putting the question: "That the date proposed to be deleted stands".

Question put.
The Dáil divided: Tá, 64; Níl, 26.

  • Abbott, Henry.
  • Ahern, Bertie.
  • Ahern, Dermot.
  • Ahern, Michael.
  • Barrett, Michael.
  • Brady, Gerard.
  • Brady, Vincent.
  • Brennan, Matthew.
  • Brennan, Séamus.
  • Browne, John.
  • Byrne, Hugh.
  • Calleary, Seán. Collins, Gerard.
  • Conaghan, Hugh.
  • Connolly, Ger.
  • Coughlan, Mary T.
  • Cowen, Brian.
  • Daly, Brendan.
  • Davern, Noel.
  • de Valera, Síle.
  • Doherty, Seán.
  • Ellis, John.
  • Fahey, Frank.
  • Fahey, Jackie.
  • Fitzgerald, Liam.
  • Fitzpatrick, Dermot.
  • Flood, Chris.
  • Flynn, Pádraig.
  • Foley, Denis.
  • Gallagher, Denis.
  • Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
  • Hilliard, Colm Michael.
  • Jacob, Joe.
  • Kirk, Séamus.
  • Kitt, Michael P.
  • Kitt, Tom.
  • Lawlor, Liam.
  • Leonard, Jimmy.
  • Leyden, Terry.
  • Lynch, Michael.
  • Lyons, Denis.
  • MacSharry, Ray.
  • Moynihan, Donal.
  • Noonan, Michael J. (Limerick West).
  • O'Dea, William Gerard.
  • O'Donoghue, John.
  • O'Hanlon, Rory.
  • O'Keeffe, Batt.
  • O'Keeffe, Ned.
  • O'Kennedy, Michael.
  • O'Leary, John.
  • O'Rourke, Mary.
  • Reynolds, Albert.
  • Roche, Dick.
  • Smith, Michael.
  • Stafford, John.
  • Treacy, Noel.
  • Tunney, Jim.
  • Wallace, Dan.
  • Walsh, Joe.
  • Walsh, Seán.
  • Wilson, John P.
  • Woods, Michael.
  • Wright, G.V.

Níl

  • Bell, Michael.
  • Clohessy, Peadar.
  • De Rossa, Proinsias.
  • Desmond, Barry.
  • Gibbons, Martin Patrick.
  • Harney, Mary.
  • Higgins, Michael D.
  • Howlin, Brendan.
  • Keating, Michael.
  • Kemmy, Jim.
  • Kennedy, Geraldine.
  • McCartan, Pat.
  • McCoy, John S.
  • Colley, Anne.
  • Cullen, Martin.
  • McDowell, Michael.
  • Mac Giolla, Tomás.
  • O'Malley, Desmond J.
  • O'Malley, Pat.
  • O'Sullivan, Toddy.
  • Quill, Máirín.
  • Quinn, Ruairí.
  • Sherlock, Joe.
  • Spring, Dick.
  • Stagg, Emmet.
  • Wyse, Pearse.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies V. Brady and Browne; Níl, Deputies Kennedy and P. O'Malley.
Question declared carried.

Is the motion for the Adjournment agreed? Agreed.

Can I ask the Minister for Finance in the absence of the Taoiseach about a matter I brought to the Taoiseach's attention last week, which was that the Minister for Communications, speaking here on 1 June said that a decision on the proposed Nigerian deal involving Whiddy and Whitegate would be made in June and announced in this House. I want an assurance from the Minister for Finance that the Minister for Communications will come into the House during the day and make that announcement as he promised and as reported at column 971 of the Official Report for 1 June last.

Item No. 10——

May I have an answer to that, please?

I have no control over these matters.

It does not arise.

Will the promise made on 1 June last be kept?

That is a matter that can be ventilated on the debate proper which is about to ensue.

The Minister for Communications deflected questions on that day with the assurance that he would come into the House and make the announcements. It appears now that he is not going to do that, judging by the silence across the House. I would have to charge the Minister with deliberately misleading the House on that occasion.

I will convey that to the Minister concerned.

Deputies may not continue in this way.

I understand he is away.

May I ask——

He deliberately misled the House so, as he had no intention of coming in here.

While these interruptions are continuing I cannot hear Deputy Keating.

May I ask your permission to raise on the Adjournment this evening the matter of the staffing problems in the Office of the Director Consumer Affairs.

I will communicate with the Deputy.

In relation to Item No. 7 on the Order Paper, I move:

"That leave be granted to introduce the Criminal Law (Amendment) (Genetic Fingerprinting) Bill, 1988".

Is the proposal agreed?

No, it is opposed.

The matter will be taken up in Private Members' Time in the ordinary way.

With regard to legislation which has been promised may I ask the Minister for the Environment if it is proposed to announce the establishment of the national roads authority fairly soon and, if so, will the necessary legislation in relation to its establishment be circulated during the recess?

I am not certain that that refers to promised legislation as such.

For the clarification of the House——

I have allowed the Deputy put his question.

The Minister indicated to this House that legislation would be necessary in relation to the establishment of a national roads authority. There have been a number of reports about its establishment. As far back as 12 weeks ago he first announced that it would be established. I am simply asking, out of courtesy, if the body is to be announced after this House rises will the legislation accompanying it also be circulated.

In due course any such legislation will be circulated.

In view of the fact that the House will not sit again until the second half of October what is the position about the appointment of an Irish member of the Commission of the European Communities?

Is the Deputy interested?

That is a matter that can be ventilated in the debate which is about to take place.

Is the House to be informed?

I am sure the House will be informed in due course.

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