It is usual to regard the motion that the Dáil do now adjourn as lapsed or withdrawn in order to allow Adjournments under Standing Order 21 to proceed. Is it agreed that the House should adjourn?
Business of Dáil.
No.
We oppose the Adjournment of the Dáil.
For the benefit of Members, a note was circulated, at the request of the Ceann Comhairle, earlier today. The position is that if the motion to adjourn the House is agreed or carried the House adjourns forthwith and the ordinary ten minute Adjournments cannot be taken. If the motion is not carried or pressed the ordinary Adjournment debate can take place.
On a point of order, if the ordinary Adjournment debate is not reached, can I take it that the Minister for Foreign Affairs will issue a statement in reply to the matters we raised this morning on Iraq?
I issued one and I am willing to issue one on the Adjournment.
I look forward to the Minister's reply on the Adjournment.
Question put: "That the House do now adjourn."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 74; Níl, 69.
Tá
- Ahern, Bertie.
- Flood, Chris.
- Ahern, Dermot.
- Foley, Denis.
- Ahern, Michael.
- Fox, Mildred.
- Ahern, Noel.
- Gildea, Thomas.
- Andrews, David.
- Hanafin, Mary.
- Ardagh, Seán.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Aylward, Liam.
- Healy-Rae, Jackie.
- Blaney, Harry.
- Jacob, Joe.
- Brady, Johnny.
- Keaveney, Cecilia.
- Brady, Martin.
- Kelleher, Billy.
- Brennan, Matt.
- Kenneally, Brendan.
- Brennan, Séamus.
- Kirk, Séamus.
- Briscoe, Ben.
- Kitt, Michael.
- Browne, John (Wexford).
- Kitt, Tom.
- Byrne, Hugh.
- Lawlor, Liam.
- Callely, Ivor.
- Lenihan, Conor.
- Carey, Pat.
- McCreevy, Charlie.
- Cooper-Flynn, Beverley.
- McGennis, Marian.
- Coughlan, Mary.
- McGuinness, John.
- Cowen, Brian.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Cullen, Martin.
- Moffatt, Thomas.
- Daly, Brendan.
- Moloney, John.
- de Valera, Síle.
- Moynihan, Donal.
- Dempsey, Noel.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Doherty, Seán.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Ellis, John.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- Fahey, Frank.
- O'Donnell, Liz.
- Fleming, Seán.
- O'Flynn, Noel.
- O'Hanlon, Rory.
- Ryan, Eoin.
- O'Keeffe, Batt.
- Smith, Brendan.
- O'Keeffe, Ned.
- Smith, Michael.
- O'Kennedy, Michael.
- Treacy, Noel.
- O'Malley, Desmond.
- Wade, Eddie.
- O'Rourke, Mary.
- Wallace, Dan.
- Power, Seán.
- Wallace, Mary.
- Reynolds, Albert.
- Walsh, Joe.
- Roche, Dick.
- Wright, G. V.
Níl
- Ahearn, Theresa.
- Hogan, Philip.
- Allen, Bernard.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Barrett, Seán.
- Kenny, Enda.
- Boylan, Andrew.
- McDowell, Derek.
- Broughan, Thomas.
- McGahon, Brendan.
- Browne, John (Carlow-Kilkenny).
- McGinley, Dinny.
- Bruton, John.
- McGrath, Paul.
- Bruton, Richard.
- McManus, Liz.
- Burke, Ulick.
- Mitchell, Gay.
- Carey, Donal.
- Moynihan-Cronin, Breeda.
- Clune, Deirdre.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Connaughton, Paul.
- Neville, Dan.
- Cosgrave, Michael.
- Noonan, Michael.
- Coveney, Simon.
- O'Keeffe, Jim.
- Crawford, Seymour.
- O'Shea, Brian.
- Creed, Michael.
- O'Sullivan, Jan.
- Currie, Austin.
- Owen, Nora.
- D'Arcy, Michael.
- Penrose, William.
- De Rossa, Proinsias.
- Perry, John.
- Deenihan, Jimmy.
- Quinn, Ruairí.
- Durkan, Bernard.
- Rabbitte, Pat.
- Reynolds, Gerard.
- Enright, Thomas.
- Ring, Michael.
- Farrelly, John.
- Ryan, Seán.
- Ferris, Michael.
- Sargent, Trevor.
- Finucane, Michael.
- Shatter, Alan.
- Fitzgerald, Frances.
- Sheehan, Patrick.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Gilmore, Éamon.
- Spring, Dick.
- Gormley, John.
- Stagg, Emmet.
- Gregory, Tony.
- Stanton, David.
- Hayes, Brian.
- Timmins, Billy.
- Higgins, Jim.
- Upton, Pat.
- Higgins, Joe.
- Wall, Jack.
- Higgins, Michael.
- Yates, Ivan.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies S. Brennan and Power; Níl, Deputies Barrett and Stagg.
Question declared carried.
Following a long and honoured tradition, I take this opportunity to wish every Member of the Oireachtas and all of the staff who work with us a very happy Christmas.
A Cheann Comhairle, I offer you and your staff a happy Christmas. As always, yours is a difficult job. I thank you for your unfailing courtesy and patience during the year on my behalf and behalf of everybody else in the House, particularly my colleagues.
I extend season's greetings to my fellow party leaders, Deputies Harney, Bruton, De Rossa and Quinn and to all of the independent Members; to the Superintendent, the Captain of the Guard, the Clerk of the Dáil and all of their staff; and to all of the staff who work in the House. There are so many people in the House that sometimes we forget some of them, particularly those who work directly within the precincts of the House at all levels, all of the ushers and all of those who serve us.
I extend season's greetings to the distinguished members of the media who report all that we do. Some days I wish they did not; other days I wish they would. I thank them for all their work here during the year.
It has been an extraordinary, remarkable year as we try to move forward the British-Irish Agreement. I thank everyone in the House, as I did earlier today. I take this opportunity to wish everybody, particularly those North and South who watch our proceedings, a happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.
On behalf of my party, I wish you, a Cheann Comhairle, a happy, relaxing Christmas so that you will return refreshed to face the troubled waters yet again. I thank the staff who assist you in your work, the Clerk of the Dáil and all the other staff of the House.
I thank the media who sometimes report the proceedings here.
I thank those who provide us with sustenance. I acknowledge Deputy Seán Ryan's apt points yesterday. I say a particular word of thanks to those who provide us with our food every day in the House, and also those who guard the House, the members of the Garda and the Army who guard the House at night.
I hope not only will we have a peaceful Christmas — no doubt we will — but that also it will be a Christmas during which further progress will be made in building an understanding between the two communities on this island who are slowly but inexorably coming to a better understanding than they have had over a long period of 300 years. I pay particular tribute to my predecessor as Taoiseach, Deputy Albert Reynolds, for the work he did in starting the present process. That is sometimes forgotten and I acknowledge it in the House.
On behalf of the Labour Party, I join other speakers in wishing everyone well for the season. I thank the media, the staff, including those outside this Chamber, the Garda, Army and all associated with this institution of democracy. We could not do our job without that constant support system which the public does not see.
This has been an important year for many of us, particularly for the people of Northern Ireland. I associate myself with Deputy Bruton's comments on complimenting the Government on its work on Northern Ireland. We will reserve the right to criticise but it has our full support in pursuing an objective which successive Governments have pursued, an objective initiated in part by Deputy Reynolds when Taoiseach.
The people who watch this programme are not all insomniacs. Some watch it at different times and they are not all in this jurisdiction. They are in our thoughts as they are part of the extended Irish family in the global village.
I wish you well, a Cheann Comhairle. I hope you will return vigorous and vibrant. I am the only leader that you have sanctioned so far. That is a demonstration of the kind of independence being expressed elsewhere at this time. I thank you for the difficult job that you and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle have in presiding over proceedings in this House. I wish you and your family a happy Christmas and a healthy new year so that you return invigorated and refreshed to face 1999.
It is important that we maintain civilities even though we may fight hard across the floor. A Cheann Comhairle, I wish you a happy Christmas and a more peaceful year in 1999 than 1998. I thank the staff, the press and everyone who makes this House operate smoothly. It is important that we look to the future. This is the last occasion on which I will address the House as leader of Democratic Left. That is an occasion of some sadness but I look forward to working with colleagues over the coming years to make the Government's life a bit more uncomfortable.
Ba mhaith liom tacaíocht a thabhairt do na Teachtaí eile a labhair ar seo agus buíochas a ghabháil leatsa as an méid oibre a dhein tú i rith na bliana. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil freisin leis an bhfuireann atá agat agus leis an Leas Cheann Comhairle chomh maith.
A Cheann Comhairle, I wish you a happy Christmas and a peaceful new year. I extend that wish to all those who work in Leinster House, particularly the staff who carry out the hard work and are not acknowledged, except at times like this. It is also appropriate that we think of those who will be in hospital or waiting to go into hospital this Christmas. I seem to know more people in that situation this year than in previous years. There will also be those who will be alone this Christmas, who will be at work and far from home, or serving the community in different ways while the rest of us enjoy Christmas at home.
I hope 1999 will see the fruition of much of the work done to secure peace on this island and between these two islands. I hope 1999 will see sectarianism begin to melt so that we can look forward to a mature future.
I express my appreciation to Members for their kind remarks. I extend my best wishes to all Members for a happy Christmas and new year. That also extends to all who serve us in this House and those in the media.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.10 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 27 January 1999.