I wish to seek the Adjournment of the Dáil in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 30 on a specific and important matter of public interest requiring urgent consideration, namely, the immediate threat to 900 permanent jobs and 600 part-time jobs at United Meat Packers Ltd. at Ballyhaunis, Ballaghaderreen, Camolin and Charleville; the failure of the examiner yesterday to obtain the necessary finance from Irish banks to continue with and complete his examination of the company; the unwillingness of the Government to use their influence with the banks in order to advance the necessary £4 million for the completion of the examination; and the collective failure of the Government and the Irish banks to appreciate the devastating consequences to rural communities of the loss of the four factories and their subsidiary service industries.
Requests to Move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 30.
I request leave to move the Adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 30 to discuss the following matter of public interest which requires urgent attention, namely, the total and abject failure of the Ministers for Finance and Agriculture and Food to involve themselves in any meaningful way in the negotiations to save the UMP group of companies who provide 1,500 full-time and part-time jobs, export meat to an annual value in excess of £300 million and who are the mainstay employer in a region of the country distressed by endemic unemployment and emigration. This stand-off by the Government has allowed two leading Irish banks to withdraw from the rescue negotiations involving a loan of £4 million thus inflicting on the Irish meat processing industry, the cattle and sheep producers and the 1,500 unfortunate employees financial damage of countless millions of pounds.
I request leave to move the Adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 30 to discuss the following matter: In view of the imminent failure of the attempts to rescue 900 jobs in United Meat Packers Ltd., this House demands a full statement from the Minister for Agriculture and Food as to the actions he is now proposing to take to secure the future viability of the meat plants which are now at immediate risk.
I seek leave to move the Adjournment of the Dáil in accordance with Standing Order 30 on a specific and important matter of public interest requiring urgent consideration, namely, the impending appointment this morning of a receiver to United Meat Packers Ltd.; the loss of 900 full-time permanent jobs; the eclipse of the second largest meat processing group in the country which will greatly affect the competitive price for cattle and sheep at farm level; and the tremendous risk to farmers and other small creditors whose cheques have not been honoured up to this morning.
The next motion is in the names of Deputies Pat Rabbitte and Joe Sherlock. It would suffice if one of the Deputies made the statement.
I request leave to move the Adjournment of the Dáil to discuss the following specific and important matter of public interest, namely, the failure of the court-appointed examiner to secure the necessary finance from the banks to complete the proposed rescue package for United Meat Packers Ltd.; the failure of the Irish banks to act in a socially responsible manner; the consequent imminent threat to the jobs of more than 900 full-time employees and 600 part-time workers; the appalling consequences of such job losses in towns such as Ballyhaunis, Ballaghaderreen, Sligo, Banagher, Camolin, Charleville and their surrounding areas and the urgent necessity for Government intervention to secure the necessary finance to save the jobs. In view of the importance of this matter I hope you will agree to the debate, Sir.
I wish to seek the Adjournment of the Dáil pursuant to Standing Order 30 to discuss the following matter of major public importance, namely, the impending appointment of a receiver at UMP and the loss of 900 jobs, including 120 full-time jobs and 80 part-time jobs at the company's plant in Charleville, County Cork, which will be a devastating blow to the local community, wracked as it is by high unemployment and emigration. The closure will also bestow a virtual monopoly position on the Goodman organisation which will be disastrous for the beef industry and the agricultural community.
I have to inform the House that I have received notice that statements on this matter will be made under Standing Order 41 at 1.40 p.m. today. Accordingly, I cannot grant leave to move the motions.
Without wishing to dispute the validity or merits of your ruling, a Cheann Comhairle, I wish to put it to you in all fairness and equity that four ten-minute statements today after 1.30 p.m. when the examiner has already gone before the High Court and the matter is a fait accompli is totally inadequate. Four ten-minute statements to the House are not sufficient or acceptable at a time when 900 jobs are at stake, the livelihoods of 900 families are going to the wall——
Please, Deputy Higgins.
——and this life and death problem requires urgent Government intervention.
A speech of this kind is not in order, Deputy Higgins.
I have a copy of the report of the proceedings of the House of 28 August 1990.
Deputy Higgins.
When we were recalled to discuss a £550 million package——
I shall have to ask the Deputy to desist.
——for a man who happened to find himself in the golden circle — Mr. Larry Goodman — a man who quite obviously will benefit if we allow this closure——
Let us proceed to the Order of Business.
I would like to proceed, but the most important business confronting this nation today is unemployment.
Deputy Higgins.
This is the crucial issue affecting——
The Deputy should have listened to Deputy Morley today.
Deputy Morley is some Teachta Dála, a messenger on behalf of the people. He is not listening to the people but he will get the message from them.
I must now ask the Deputy to resume his seat.
I will resume my seat as soon as we get the same treatment as did Larry Goodman.
On a point of order——
I have ruled on this matter which will come before the House again shortly——
A Cheann Comhairle——
——if we are permitted to proceed with the business of the House this morning.
Nobody wants to be disorderly, and you, a Cheann Comhairle, know that better than anyone else. That is not our way of doing things.
Let us have an example of good behaviour.
The decision of this House today to have statements at 1.40 p.m. is like saying prayers when the funeral is over, and the Chair knows that. There is no point discussing the matter when the Receiver has been called in. I am absolutely disgusted with the Taoiseach and the western Deputies who should all take the blame for this crisis as a result of which 900 full time jobs and 600 part time jobs may be lost.
The Deputy is playing politics.
Those people are not laughing.
All that was wrong was that the owner of UMP was not in the Government set as was Larry Goodman.
The Deputy will not impress them.
I am asking you, a Cheann Comhairle, to allow the matter to be discussed before the Receiver is called in.
Members will have an opportunity of giving vent to their feelings in this matter when we come to the statements.
On a point of order——
Deputies cannot dispute my ruling.
Members will not have sufficient opportunity to make their contributions in ten minutes. To allow ten minutes to discuss this important matter is an insult to the House.
I suggest to the Taoiseach that the time ordered will not be sufficient for the gravity of this crisis. It is a major crisis and I suggest that the House immediately discuss the issue, as happened last Thursday when there was a problem for the Minister for Industry and Commerce. I suggest that an open debate of three hours should take place to discuss the loss of these jobs.
I am calling the Order of Business.
A Cheann Comhairle, you accepted a contribution from Deputy Spring. I now ask you to please accept a contribution from this side of the House.
I have accepted a number of contributions from the Fine Gael side also.
I would like to make one brief point. It is totally inadequate that a party of our size be allowed only ten minutes to contribute to the debate.
Members will have an opportunity of commenting on this matter when we are dealing with the Order of Business which I am now calling.
On a point of order, if the loss of 1,500 jobs is not a matter of urgent public importance, what is?
I am calling the Taoiseach.
The Government will have to concede to a debate on this issue now.
If this gross disorder persists——
On a point of order——
Deputy Connor, resume your seat.
What kind of politics is this?
On a point of order——
Deputies should resume their seats.
I am one of the Deputies who gave notice of this motion under Standing Order 30 and I am entitled to make a point of order.
I have heard many points of order on this matter. The matter arises again on the Order of Business, and I am calling the Order of Business now.
On a point of order——
A Cheann Comhairle——
I feel I have no option now but to adjourn the proceedings of the House.
The Government will agree——
This will not save the jobs.
Let the Taoiseach come in here in the next hour and debate this matter.
If Deputies do not desist forthwith I will adjourn the proceedings.
The Deputies will not allow the Taoiseach to speak. They are enjoying themselves.
The Taoiseach should be given an opportunity to get over his indecision and to concede a debate now.
May I make a comment?
If the Deputies opposite will even allow for one intervention maybe we could get some rationale back into the House. Are they giving way?
We are all ears.
If Deputies do not wish to resume their seats that is fine.
The Taoiseach should allow a debate on the matter.
On a point of order——
I will hear just one more point of order and then I will call the Order of Business on which this matter arises again.
I suggest, Sir, that you adjourn the House for a quarter of an hour to allow the Whips meet again to see if we can have this debate immediately.
That is not necessary.
The Chair will adjourn the House only in a situation of gross disorder. Riar na hOibre.
Standing Orders should be given priority in this House.
For the assistance of the House, I have no objection to moving forward the debate to 12 noon when Deputies would have an opportunity to make statements. They could have a ten minute debate now——
That is an insult to the House.
If the Deputy does not wish to listen I will proceed with the Order of Business. If Deputies want to play politics with this matter I cannot stop them.
That is what they are doing.
The Taoiseach should make his case.
Let me make my case. I am trying to facilitate the House but I know there are people over there who want to play politics and who do not wish to facilitate the House.
On a point of order——
The Taoiseach should be allowed to continue.
A Cheann Comhairle, I do not think——
Sorry, Deputy.
Deputy Dukes is not in order.
The Tánaiste is not in the Chair.
I did not suggest that I was. I would have a better chance of getting that job than would the Deputy.
It is not proper, Sir, that you should allow the Taoiseach to make a charge like that on a morning such as this. You are allowing the Taoiseach to get around an important debate by this nasty, mean little trick of making statements to the House.
Please, Deputy.
I am quite prepared to facilitate the House. If it is the general feeling that the House wishes to bring forward the debate, I have no problem with that. Neither is there a problem with having the debate after the Order of Business today, but as I said we informed the Whips opposite of the matter and they did not request it immediately after the Order of Business. If they had done so we would have responded. If the statements of the——
We are not requesting statements.
Is it in order that the Taoiseach should come in here and repeatedly mislead and misrepresent——
If the Deputies wish to play politics let them do so but if they want to facilitate the House that is fine.
We are not playing politics.
Let us proceed with the Order of Business.
May I make a point of order now?
We want a three hour debate.
We would like a debate; not statements.
I have no option but to adjourn the House.
May I raise a point of order in response to a gross misrepresentation by the Taoiseach?
Points of order and scoring of points will not be allowed.
I am quite prepared to facilitate the House in any way that is acceptable, but if people do no want to accept my offer I cannot help them any further.
Is the Taoiseach agreeing to a debate rather than ten minute statements?
It is clear that order is not being restored now. Therefore, I propose to adjourn the House for a quarter of an hour.