It is proposed to take No. 9.
Order of Business.
It was said in the House last evening that Deputy Callely misled a member of the Labour Party which resulted in Deputy Michael Higgins leaving the House——
Deputy Shatter should resume his seat.
I want to know if it is in order for Deputy Callely to offer an explanation for his conduct in the House yesterday in misleading a Member of the House.
I will have to ask the Deputy, if he persists, to leave the House.
I have raised a question with the Chair.
I will not permit a rehash of yesterday's business.
I am not trying to raise yesterday's business.
The Deputy is.
I am asking if it is in order that Deputy Callely be asked to make a statement to the House on his behaviour in the House last night. This is a matter of honour between Members of the House.
That should not be raised now.
Deputy Callely was the only Member of the House who was elected to keep his mouth shut.
I want to restore order and get down to the Order of Business as quickly as possible.
I wish to raise a matter I consider to be of great importance. I have attempted to do so on many occasions in the House. I am referring to the collapse of Merchant Bank some years ago in this State. The Chair will be aware that prosecutions have taken place outside this jurisdiction in relation to that collapse and I should like to ask the Tánaiste, or the Minister for Justice in his other portfolio, to inform the House if prosecutions will take place in this State in relation to the collapse of Merchant Bank.
This does not refer to legislation proposed.
It does refer to legislation in relation to the Central Bank.
Does it refer to legislation promised in the House?
It does not.
There is a difference of opinion on this. Let us clarify it some other time. I am calling on the Minister for Finance to move the Second Reading of his Bill.
It may be tiresome for the Chair to have Members standing up and putting questions——
I asked the Minister for Finance to introduce his Bill.
The Minister for Finance is not here.
The Deputy will be aware that a Minister is sufficient.
I am endeavouring to speak, not like Deputy Callely. On the Order of Business, I want to raise a question in relation to the Broadcasting Bill which is before the House. I should like to ask if at this stage the Government will withdraw that Bill——
I have already indicated that I will not entertain a rehash of yesterday's business.
I am raising a question about legislation that is before the House.
The Deputy may not proceed along those lines. The Deputy should resume his seat.
Surely I am in order in asking a question about legislation that is before the House.
For the third time I am asking Deputy De Rossa to resume his seat. If he does not resume his seat he will leave the House.
I have no wish to leave the House. I was elected to speak here and in my view I am in order in asking about the Broadcasing Bill which is before the House.
(Interruptions.)
Deputy De Rossa is defying the ruling of the Chair. Deputies will have ample opportunity to discuss the Broadcasting Bill. There are a number of Stages of that Bill left to be discussed.
We are being deprived of our right to discuss the Bill.
Deputy Rabbitte rose.
Sit down Deputy Rabbitte. I am sorry Deputies but I feel I have no option but to adjourn the proceedings of the House. There is evidence of a complete defiance of the rule of the Chair.
(Interruptions.)
This is the product of a disreputable Government and Minister who ran away from the criticism of the House. The Minister was frightened to listen to criticism.
I would ask somebody to restrain the Deputy. He makes things very difficult for the Chair. If order is not immediately restored I will have no option but to adjourn the proceedings of the House to a time I shall decide.
Might I suggest, in assisting the Chair, that he adjourn the House to a time he shall decide but, in the meantime, he convene a meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges?
I will permit no conditions. If I adjourn the House it will be on the basis of gross disorder, and nothing else.
I must point out to the Chair that I was not disorderly.
I called on the Deputy to resume his seat ten times.
May I ask if it is not a fact that the Bill on which the House voted last evening bore no relationship to the Bill that was originally introduced?
I will not permit any reference to yesterday's business. I will not permit a rehash of yesterday's business.
The Bill introduced yesterday by the Minister for Communications bears no relationship to the Bill originally introduced in the House and, accordingly, Deputies seeking the reintroduction of Second Stage are, I suggest, quite in order.
I am adjourning the House for 15 minutes.
Sitting suspended at 10.50 a.m. and resumed at 11.5 a.m.
I was trying to ask a question before the House was adjourned. I wish to ask the Minister for Communications and the Tánaiste, in relation to the Broadcasting Bill on which the Minister yesterday called a vote and the wide range of amendments which he intends to introduce to it, if he will now withdraw the Bill before the House and reintroduce it——
Deputy De Rossa, hear the Chair. I indicated quite clearly to the House earlier this morning that I will not permit a rehash of yesterday's proceedings.
I am trying to be helpful.
I ask the Deputy to desist forthwith and to resume his seat.
I am trying to give the Government a chance——
Please resume your seat.
Am I in order in raising this matter?
You are not in order in raising this matter, please resume your seat.
Why not?
I am not obliged to explain anything to you, Deputy, please resume your seat.
I am not arguing with the Chair, I am simply trying to establish——
For the last time, resume your seat.
In relation to the matter we were discussing before you adjourned the House, a Cheann Comhairle, have you convened a meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges? If so, will Deputy Callely be summoned to appear before that Committee?
I have requested that a meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges be convened for 2 p.m. today and we are now making arrangements to communicate with the Members thereof.
I am grateful for the meeting being called. In view of the abuse of parliamentary procedure in this House yesterday by Deputy Callely, will he be summoned——
Withdraw that remark. Where were the members of the Deputy's party yesterday?
I have nothing to add to my advice in regard to this matter.
Over 80 Deputies were supposed to be over there yesterday but not one of them came into the House.
Where is your leader, can you trust him?
Please, Deputy Spring.
When one Member tells a deliberate lie it should be dealt with by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges.
Please, Deputy Spring, do not go that far.
Deputy Spring should withdraw that remark.
I will not withdraw that statement. Let the man stand up and defend himself. He should do the decent thing.
Where was he this morning?
I had assumed on reconvening that we could speedily get down to the Order of Business but it seems that is not possible as disorder prevails. On that basis you leave me no option but to again adjourn the proceedings of the House.
Sort the matter out.
(Interruptions.)
May I refer to the request made under Standing Order 30 by Deputy De Rossa and Deputy Dukes?
That is a matter for the Committee on Procedure and Privileges at 2 p.m. today.
I thought because it was Friday——
It will be determined today; please do not press me further on the matter. I have done as the House requested. Does Deputy Dukes wish to intervene?
How can we expect this to be decided when the Chief Whip of the Government Party has decided that he will not attend this meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges?
I know nothing about that matter, Deputy De Rossa.
I am not often in this position, Sir, but I can rise to thank you for having acceded to my request to convene a meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. I hope that committee will be properly treated and attended.
(Interruptions.)
I note the Deputy has found his voice at last; the strong, silent types are now speaking.
(Interruptions.)
I hope that that committee will find in my favour——
(Interruptions.)
Please, Deputies. I would appeal to Deputy Dukes to conclude his remarks and allow me proceed with the Order of Business.
——that, in any case, we can return to this business in a proper, orderly fashion on Tuesday, and that we can resume our discussion of the Broadcasting Bill in a proper and democratic manner next week.
Deputies
In Committee.
I am calling item No. 9, Industrial Credit (Amendment) Bill, 1990, Second Stage.
I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
A Cheann Comhairle——
Deputy Quinn, please, I am calling the Minister now.
On the Order of Business, a Cheann Comhairle——
On the Order of Business——
We have been on the Order of Business since 10.30 this morning.
Is there any law that says we cannot continue? I have another question to ask on the Order of Business if it is in order, Sir. In view of the fact that repeated requests by way of parliamentary questions have failed to elicit a reply, may I ask the Minister for Justice when the Garda inquiry into allegations of corruption in the planning department of Dublin County Council will be completed?
That is not a matter for the Order of Business, now, Deputy Quinn.
I have no other way of raising it, a Cheann Comhairle.
On the Adjournment——
The Deputy will raise it in some other way.
I have no other way, a Cheann Comhairle.
My office will be glad to assist you in any way if it is possible.
Your office have already assisted me on this matter. This is the only opportunity I have of raising it.
The Minister to move item No. 9.
On the Order of Business, a Cheann Comhairle, may I seek your direction in relation to a question I had tabled and in respect of which I received a communication from your office. The response given was that the Minister concerned had no responsibility to this House in relation to the allocation of Structural Funds. I am referring to the Minister for Tourism and Transport. Since when do the Government not have any responsibility to this House in relation to the allocation of Structural Funds?
Deputy Taylor-Quinn gave me no notice of her intention to raise this matter. She knows full well it is disorderly to challenge the ruling of the Chair in respect of questions of this kind.
It is not the Chair, Sir, it is the Minister who is claiming no responsibility.
It is not in order now, Deputy.
The Government are trying to say that they have no responsibility for the allocation of Structural Funds.
A Cheann Comhairle, I will not have an opportunity of raising the matter this evening so I would like a decision on this matter.
I will look into the matter to ascertain whether I can be of assistance to the Deputy.
May I ask the Tánaiste when the Colleges Bill will be circulated. He may be aware that this has been promised in every Dáil session for the last two convenings of the Dáil. We were told it would be circulated before the summer. It has not yet been circulated. May I ask him when it will be?
We hope to have it circulated before the end of this session — circulated.
Will it be the intention to debate it this session?
That is doubtful enough but we will have it circulated and published by the end of this session.
Some months ago the Minister for Communications announced that he intended requesting RTE to sell off Cablelink. As the matter has been considered by the Minister for Industry and Commerce for some time now, may I ask the Tánaiste if an announcement will be made in this House on that matter.
That does not arise now, Deputy.
On that point may I say that the announcement has been made outside this House.
Surely this House should be treated with some dignity?
I think the Deputy should put down a question on the matter. There are ways and means of raising such matters.
Has the Minister for Industry and Commerce no responsibility to this House? An announcement outside this House is very vague and is hammering a further nail in the coffin of RTE.
I think the Deputy should table a question on the matter.
I should like to congratulate the Minister for Agriculture and Food and our Agriculture Commissioner, Ray MacSharry, on the successful outcome of the most recent negotiations.
(Interruptions.)
That he may stay there.