For being disorderly, not on the issue, I move: "That Deputy Allen be suspended from the service of the Dáil."
Suspension of Member.
Question put.
Vótáil. If the Ceann Comhairle wants this type of opposition, he might get it on a more regular basis.
Can the Taoiseach be allowed to answer?
In accordance with Standing Orders, the division will take place tomorrow morning at the beginning of business.
The Taoiseach had not finished answering, the Ceann Comhairle interrupted.
The Ceann Comhairle is doing this for no reason other than his own——
On a point of order——
There is no point of order, I am dealing with disorder. Deputy Allen must leave the House.
He did not stand up. The Ceann Comhairle better explain why——
He did not have to stand up, he interrupted on all three questions.
Ceann Comhairle, on a point of order——
The Ceann Comhairle can have him voted out if he wants.
The Government has ignored Munster, and now the Ceann Comhairle——
Ceann Comhairle, you cut the Taoiseach off——
I do not want to suspend the House but it will be necessary if Deputy Allen does not leave.
Suspend the House then.
The House is suspended for five minutes to allow Deputy Allen to leave.
Why will the Taoiseach not finish the answer?
Sitting suspended at 4.55 p.m. and resumed at 5 p.m.
As Deputy Allen is still in the House, the sitting must be suspended again.
Listen to the Members.
On a point of order, the Ceann Comhairle is a respected medical person. Under what Standing Order or criteria was it obvious to him that Deputy Allen wanted to be thrown out of the House. He is a representative of the people of Cork and he was asking legitimate questions, no more than any other Member——
The Chair has ruled that the Deputy should leave the House for being disorderly.
The Ceann Comhairle said it was obvious to him that Deputy Allen wanted to be thrown out of the House. I would like him to explain that remark.
Yes, and, as the Deputy is still in the House, the sitting will be suspended for ten minutes to give him an opportunity to leave.
The Chair will have to give us an explanation when the sitting resumes.
Sitting suspended at 5.05 p.m. and resumed at 5.15 p.m.
I would like an explanation from the Ceann Comhairle why he considered that Deputy Allen should be removed from the House. A discussion was going on in this House about a serious situation regarding cancer services. Deputy Allen is a Cork representative and he pointed out to the Taoiseach that he received a letter from the Health Service Executive today confirming that there is a two-year waiting list for mammograms in Cork. The Taoiseach did not have a copy of that letter and clearly was not aware of its contents. Deputy Allen was not even on his feet when he made his intervention on a number of occasions. The Ceann Comhairle's assertion that it was obvious to him that Deputy Allen wished to be removed from the House is not correct. I would like the Ceann Comhairle to explain why he feels Deputy Allen should be removed from the House.
As Deputy Kenny is aware, Deputy Allen interrupted a number of times when the Deputy Kenny submitted a question. He interrupted again a number of times when Deputy Rabbitte submitted his question and when the Taoiseach was replying. He interrupted a number of times when Deputy Sargent submitted his question and when the Taoiseach was replying. The Chair warned Deputy Allen a number of times that if he persisted, the Chair would have no choice but to ask him to leave. He is being asked to leave the House for gross disorder; it has nothing to do with the issue before the House.
A Cheann Comhairle——
Will the Deputy please resume her seat?
——I think you fail to understand the depth of anger in Cork about the cancer issue. To suspend Deputy Allen at this stage because he is representing his constituents is entirely wrong.
The Chair is suspending the sitting again to give Deputy Allen an opportunity to leave.
As the Chair is well aware, I tabled a request under Standing Order 31 today on this issue. I also tabled a private notice question and sought to raise the issue on the Adjournment. I presume a debate will not be granted under Standing Order 31. My private notice question was over-ruled by the Chair, as was my request for a debate on the Adjournment on what is a life and death issue. I listened to the Taoiseach when he made comments about Roy Keane and the health of George Best. I also listened to him give inaccurate information to the House about the health of the people of Cork.
We are not discussing that issue but gross disorder on the part of a Member of the House.
It was not gross disorder.
I am suspending the sitting.
I was clarifying misinformation given by the Taoiseach.
The Deputy has made his point. I ask him to leave the House.
Deputy Allen withdrew from the Chamber.
Sitting suspended at 5.22 p.m. and resumed at 5.26 p.m.
Before coming to the Order of Business, I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 31——
A Cheann Comhairle, it is quite outrageous——
I ask Deputy Lynch to resume her seat.
——that a Deputy should be removed from the Chamber because he raises a legitimate complaint——
The Deputy is out of order.
——on behalf of his constituents, constituents not just in Cork city——
I ask the Deputy to resume her seat.
—— and then to ask the press to leave in order that the event would not be recorded.
I ask the Deputy——
That is quite outrageous. We have sat here for an hour and a half because the Chair decided we could not have a discussion on the health of cancer patients in Munster.
The Deputy is being grossly disorderly.
All the last Minister for Health and Children did was issue reports.
The Deputy is being grossly disorderly and leaves the Chair no option but to be consistent and ask that she leave the House.
He issued a cancer strategy five years ago and what have we for it? Nothing.
I ask Deputy Lynch to resume her seat.
I will not resume my seat.
Well then, the Deputy will leave the House.
If I resume my seat, the people of Cork who are demanding a cancer service——
If the Deputy does not resume her seat, she will have to leave the House.
A Cheann Comhairle, let me tell you about a man who eventually got a bed in Cork today. He had waited five weeks for one.
The Chair has no choice but to be consistent. I ask the Deputy to leave the House.
As his wife said to me, he was wasting away in front of her. He was told that if he wanted a bed, he should go through the accident and emergency department. We are talking about State consultants.
I move: "That Deputy Lynch be suspended from the service of the Dáil."
Question put.
Deputies
Votáil.
In accordance with Standing Orders, the division will take place tomorrow. The Chair will suspend the sitting for five minutes to give Deputy Lynch an opportunity to leave the House.
Sitting suspended at 5.30 p.m. and resumed at 5.35 p.m.
I ask Deputy Lynch to leave the House.
Deputy Lynch withdrew from the Chamber.
Before coming to the Order of Business, I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 31——
On a point of order, I would like to know the Standing Order under which Deputies Allen and Lynch have been asked to leave the House today.
If the Deputy has a problem, he should——
I would like to know the grounds on which the Adjournment debate matters in the names of Deputies Allen and Lynch and mine have been disallowed.
I ask the Deputy to resume his seat. I appreciate he is from the same constituency as the other two.
He is not actually.
(Interruptions).
I also expect that the Deputy would——
We have witnessed a farce today where no real answers have been given about a second-class health service in the Cork region.
I ask the Deputy to resume his seat.
I have asked two questions, to which I would be grateful to receive answers.
The Chair is responding to the Deputy and if he resumes his seat, he will hear what the Chair has to say.
I would hear better if I was standing.
The Chair has no intention of getting involved in a discussion with the Deputy on the floor of the House, particularly if he is being disorderly and disobeying the Chair.
I asked a specific question about the Standing Order under which two Members have been asked to leave the House.
If the Deputy wishes to continue the way his colleagues went, he may do so. Before coming to the Order of Business, I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 31 and will call on the Deputies in the order in which they submitted their notices to my office. I call Deputy Perry.
Deputy Boyle is raising a point of order.
He is not. I have ruled it out as a point of order. If the Deputy has a problem, he is welcome to come to my office and I will be glad to give him all the time he needs.
It is normal to have an answer given to a point of order raised.
I call Deputy Perry.
The Ceann Comhairle is being discourteous to a Member of the House.
I have asked about the Standing Order under which——
The Chair has pointed out to the Deputy that the Chair would be only too delighted to discuss it with the Deputy and give him all the time he needs in my office immediately after the Order of Business.
I am standing on the basis that I have asked a question about a matter which has been disallowed for discussion on the Adjournment.
We are only taking items raised under Standing Order 31.
I am referring to Standing Order 21.
We will come to that matter later.
Deputies Allen and Lynch and I gave notice under Standing Order 21 of our wish to raise this matter on the Adjournment and it has not been allowed.
I ask the Deputy to resume his seat in order that we can hear the matters raised under Standing Order 31.
The Taoiseach has not finished the answer to my question on Leaders' Questions.
The Taoiseach intimated that he had concluded.
He had not answered the questions about the number of beds.
That is not a matter for the Deputy.
He did not give a complete reply.
The Ceann Comhairle interrupted the Taoiseach and he was obliged to sit down.
I asked a procedural question under Standing Order 21. Three requests were submitted by Deputies Allen and Lynch, and me.
That is correct. However, that is not a point of order and the Deputy is being disorderly.
I am talking about Standing Order 21. If that is not a Standing Order, what is?
The Deputy is not entitled to raise the matter at this time and I ask him to resume his seat.
This is the Order of Business.
We are not on the Order of Business yet; we are dealing with matters raised under Standing Order 31. If the Deputy wants to leave the House, the Chair will facilitate him.
(Interruptions).
The Deputy is being grossly disorderly and it is obvious to the Chair that is what he wants to do. I suggest he resume his seat.
I am leaving the House of my own volition because of the disrespect shown to Cork Deputies who are highlighting a second-class health service.
On a point of order——
(Interruptions).
I am sure the Ceann Comhairle can sense from the Deputies opposite that there is a very strong feeling in Cork about this issue.
That is not a point of order.
Just to be helpful, would it be possible to give an assurance to the Deputies opposite——
Has the Ceann Comhairle been struck dumb?
Apparently, Deputy Kelleher is allowed to speak.
The Ceann Comhairle should throw Deputy Kelleher out.
——and some of the Deputies on this side that on the Adjournment tomorrow night we will have an opportunity to discuss the issue which would meet some of the concerns of the Deputies opposite? We would like to be helpful if we can.
I call Deputy Perry.
On a point of order, did the Ceann Comhairle or some member of staff give instructions to clear the Press Gallery.
I know nothing at all about that matter.
Why did some of the staff under the control of the Ceann Comhairle approach them in that regard?
I know nothing at all about that matter.
The Ceann Comhairle might make inquiries, given that the Dáil is supposed to sit in public session. I know the Ceann Comhairle would like to hold it in private.
On a point of order, the point raised by Deputy Sargent is legitimate. The Taoiseach had not completed his reply.
The Chair has ruled on the matter. That is not a point of order. I ask the Deputy to resume his seat.
It is a serious point of order. There were three parts to the question. The final part, the question of bed capacity——
It is obvious to the Chair that the Deputy wishes to disrupt the business of the House.
That should not be obvious. I do not know how that is obvious to the Chair. I do not wish to——
It is. The Chair has ruled that it is not a point of order. I call Deputy Perry.
I would like the Taoiseach to complete his reply. There was a final part to the question and I ask him to reply.
I call on Deputy Perry to proceed.
Will the Chair allow the Taoiseach to reply?
Sorry, the Taoiseach had concluded his questions.
We were interrupted. The Taoiseach had——
We had already gone over time. Today we went 16 or 17 minutes over time on Question Time. I call Deputy Perry.
Please allow the Taoiseach 30 seconds to reply. He has indicated he wants to reply.