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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 20 Feb 2001

Vol. 530 No. 6

Resignation of Minister of State: Announcement by Taoiseach.

I formally announce for the information of the Dáil that I accepted the resignation of Deputy O'Keeffe as a Minister of State on Saturday, 17 February 2001. The Government at a meeting yesterday appointed Deputy Ó Cuiv Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and Deputy Coughlan, Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. The Minister of State Deputy Davern will have responsibility for food in addition to existing responsibilities for livestock breeding and horticulture, the Minister of State, Deputy Moffatt, will continue to be responsible for food safety, Deputy Ó Cuiv will have responsibility for rural development and the Western Development Commission, and Deputy Coughlan will have responsibility for the Gaeltacht and the Islands.

Congratulations to Deputy Coughlan on her promotion. She is one of a number of Fianna Fáil backbenchers who deserve it. I am glad my appointment of Deputy McGinley to a similar portfolio convinced the Taoiseach that he had to be marked, and there is no better woman to mark him.

A special notice question on the Deputy Ned O'Keeffe affair was disallowed. The explanation from the Ceann Comhairle's office was that the matter was too important to be dealt with by Private Notice Question and that the Taoiseach would make a statement at 4.15 p.m. Is this the statement? The explanation I received from the Ceann Comhairle's office was that the matter was too important to be dealt with by way of Private Notice Question and that the Taoiseach would make a statement at 4.15 p.m. Was that the statement? Will there be another statement?

My understanding was that the Taoiseach would make an announcement.

I was told it would be a statement.

The Taoiseach has made the announcement. Under long established rulings of the Chair, an announcement by the Taoiseach of the day is for the information of the Houses. There is no motion before the House. No contributions are allowed except on rare occasions when further comment by other party leaders has been allowed. Today I will permit a brief comment from the leader of the Fine Gael Party and the leader of the Labour Party. However, it must be accepted that, under Standing Orders, issues arising from the announcement can be debated only when there is a substantive motion before the House.

I agree with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's ruling.

I will take one brief statement from the leader of the Fine Gael Party and from the leader of the Labour Party.

On a point of order—

I have no difficulty with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's ruling. I am only raising a point of order.

I call Deputy Sargent on a point of order.

I initially raised a point of order.

On the understanding that there would be a statement, the Private Notice Question I submitted was also disallowed. Can I be accommodated in the supplementary comment the Chair intends to allow?

I will allow only a brief comment by the leaders of the Fine Gael Party and the Labour Party.

That is nothing short of muzzling.

I wish to raise a point of order. I tabled a Private Notice Question on the general affair concerning the former Minister of State, Deputy Ned O'Keeffe. I was advised by the Ceann Comhairle's office that the Ceann Comhairle disallowed the Private Notice Question because he felt the issue was too big to be raised by way of a Private Notice Question and that it should be dealt with by way of a more substantive motion. The letter goes on to state that the Taoiseach will make a statement at 4.15 p.m. However, the Taoiseach did not make a statement; he made an announcement. Before the Order of Business is announced, will the Taoiseach make a further statement relevant to the affair concerning the former Minister of State, Deputy Ned O'Keeffe, and his resignation?

What about the Deputy Jim Mitchell affair?

If not, I will have something else to say on the Order of Business.

The Chair will decide that. I will allow the Deputy and Deputy Quinn to ask the Taoiseach a question on this issue if they wish to comment on it. However, as there is no substantive motion before the House, there will be no debate on it today.

Did the Taoiseach's office mislead the Ceann Comhairle's office?

Please, Deputy Shatter. I call Deputy Quinn.

I received the same information in relation to a Private Notice Question. There is a distinct difference between the Taoiseach making an announcement and making a statement. I am not making an allegation of any nature whatsoever with regard to bad faith in the Ceann Comhairle's office. However, Members of the House are entitled to know whether the Taoiseach's office deliberately misled the Ceann Comhairle's office so as to result in the Ceann Comhairle ruling out of order the Private Notice Questions that were properly submitted.

I suggest the Deputy discusses the matter with the Ceann Comhairle in his office.

Before I comment on this matter, it would be less than gracious of me not to congratulate my old friend, the Minister of State, Deputy Coughlan, on her elevation. It is an honour that is well deserved and long overdue.

I fear the Leas-Cheann Comhairle has been put in a very difficult position and I wish to be orderly in respect of the difficulty which he must now administer. However, it is clear from what has been said already that the Taoiseach is hiding behind the Chair and deliberately misled the office of the Ceann Comhairle.

That is an "off the top of the head" remark.

We have not had a statement as is understood and we did not say an announcement. Perhaps the Chair could give me some assistance and guidance.

The Deputy should find out the position before he makes accusations.

We will come to the Minister in due course as joint treasurer of the Fianna Fáil Party and his electoral priorities.

The Minister is the weakest link.

Deputy Quinn nearly put his foot in it yesterday. Lite FM saved him.

The Minister should put him-self in a litter bin.

I would suggest that, as the Minister for crisis, he should hold his breath.

Deputy Quinn without interruption.

The Minister should hold his breath. We will come to him in due course, but not necessarily today.

It will be a long time coming.

The Chair will at some stage call me to make a request under Standing Order 31. Is it the case, from what the Ceann Comhairle's office said, that this matter is of such importance that it could not be raised under Private Notice Questions and that, accordingly, it will be taken under Standing Order 31? If that is the ruling, there is no point engaging in this debate now.

Perhaps we could move on to the requests under Standing Order 31. I will allow Deputy Quinn and Deputy Noonan to make brief comments at a later stage.

That might be more orderly.

They will not arise under Standing Order 31.

On another point of order, did the Chair receive a request under Standing Order 31 from me?

I will call the requests under Standing Order 31 now.

The Chair did not mention it.

It is clear from the Chair's comments that Deputy Quinn and I will be allowed to comment on his ruling on the requests under Standing Order 31.

I did not say that. I will not allow the Deputy to comment under Standing Order 31. I said I would allow the Deputies to comment later. I will not allow the Deputies to ask the Taoiseach questions under Standing Order 31. Deputy Quinn raised the matter, but as we cannot anticipate the ruling on the requests under Standing Order 31, we will take those requests now.

We will move matters along.

There are shades of an old section 31 that was repealed by the House.

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