It is proposed to take No. a17, statements on banking and; No. 17, ráitis faoin tuarascáil maidir le straitéis 20 bliain don Ghaeilge. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that: the proceedings on No. a17 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 95 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: the statements shall be confined to a Minister or Minister of State and to the main spokespersons for Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Sinn Féin, who shall be called upon in that order, who may share their time, and which shall not exceed 15 minutes in each case, a Minister or Minister of State shall take questions for a period not exceeding 30 minutes, and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes; the proceedings on No. 17 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 3.30 p.m. today and the following arrangements shall apply: the speech of a Minister or Minister of State and of the main spokespersons for Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Sinn Féin, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed 15 minutes in each case, the speech of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case, Members may share time, and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed ten minutes.
Order of Business
There are two proposals to be put to the House today. Is the proposal for dealing with No. a17, statements on banking agreed to?
It is not agreed.
It is not agreed to. I would like to say something about this. First, every other business should be suspended for the day——
Deputies
Hear, hear.
——until we deal with this matter. It is rich for the great republican party to come to the House on 18 November 2010 and tell us we will have statements about straitéis don Ghaeilge. Wrap the green flag around me and preserve the national language on a day when we now have confirmation of the handing over of our economic independence to personnel from abroad.
I do not propose to allow a discussion on this matter on the Order of Business.
I know you do not.
Just a moment. There is a proposal on the Order of Business today that we have contributions and a question and answer session immediately afterwards.
There is a crisis in the country.
Ninety five minutes.
Ten minutes.
It is a limited debate.
We should not get into the business of anticipating what might be said later on. It is singularly inappropriate to abuse the Order of Business in such a manner.
After almost 95 years the Government gives us 95 minutes to deal with the banking situation. This day represents the conclusion of the type of politics practised by the Tánaiste's party — cronyism, sleeveen politics, dig outs, nods and winks——
Deputy Kenny.
——how's your father, buy them off, of gross incompetence in the State——
Hear, hear.
Deputy Kenny.
——and make the people pay at the end of the day.
You know all about that.
Go to the country.
All those points can be made when the discussion commences immediately after the Order of Business, not on the Order of Business.
This is the Order of Business.
I do not accept the proposal from the Tánaiste. I am pleased to see the Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, is sitting beside her. He did not recognise what was going on in the past week. He suggested they were discussions of fiction. I suppose the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Deputy Hanafin, who is absent, will record the personnel from the ECB and the Commission——
Deputy Kenny is anticipating the debate that is set out in the Order of Business.
——as tourists if they are in this country for two nights.
Deputy Kenny should co-operate with the Chair.
I want you to know, a Cheann Comhairle——
I could understand Deputy Kenny wishing to make those points if we did not have provision for statements and questions and answers, but we have provisions for both.
You should co-operate with Deputy Kenny.
I want you to understand, a Cheann Comhairle. I heard the British Chancellor yesterday talk about giving loans to the State. I understand there is no Machiavellian intent——
Deputy Kenny might have been looking for it last week.
Are you not ashamed? Keep your mouth shut.
——but the consequence of it would be that the British Government would give the State money so that AIB could pay off British banks and the Irish taxpayer would pay for that.
We will not have this debate on the Order of Business. There is provision to make all those points subsequent to the Order of Business during statements and questions and answers.
The Ceann Comhairle is making a disgrace of himself. He is undermining the credibility of this House.
I am not undermining the credibility of this House. Deputy Shatter will withdraw the remark or leave the House.
The Leader of the Opposition is entitled to make known his views on why we are not agreeing the Order of Business.
Deputy Shatter will leave the House.
I will not leave the House. You are making a disgrace of this House.
Deputy Shatter will withdraw the remark.
We want more time to discuss an issue of major national importance.
Deputy Shatter will withdraw the remark. He is impugning the integrity of the Chair of this House. That is out of order. Deputy Shatter will leave the House.
The veil of Fianna Fáil is clouding your perception of how to deal with this matter. You are disgracing the Chair.
Deputy Shatter will leave the House.
I will not.
I will adjourn the Dáil for ten minutes.
That is a lovely response to the economic situation.
Could I request Deputy Shatter——
May I say something?
One moment until I deal with this matter. I request that Deputy Shatter withdraw the remark or leave the House.
My entitlement to be in this House is set in the Constitution and is based on the election of my constituents. At a time of national emergency——
We are not going to get into that debate at this point, Deputy.
My only point, Sir, is that the Leader of the Opposition is entitled to explain to the House the reason for opposing the Order of Business. That is my only point.
When the Dáil is in session, the Chair has responsibility for proper order in the House, and I insist that there will be proper order in the House.
I agree, Sir.
You are contributing to disorder. Could I ask you to leave the House or withdraw the remark?
Could I make the point to you, Sir?
Deputy, withdraw the remark or leave the House.
On the assumption, Sir, that you allow the Leader of the Opposition to explain why we are opposing the Order of Business, I will withdraw the remark.
We are dealing with this matter. This is a matter between the Chair and your good self.
I withdraw the remark.
Is the Deputy leaving the House?
No, I have said, Sir, that I will withdraw the remark on the basis of my understanding that the Leader of the Opposition will be allowed to explain why we are opposing the Order of Business.
That is what is wrong. There is too much control.
That is not good enough. I name Deputy Alan Shatter.
The Ceann Comhairle is chairing the national Parliament, not a meeting of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party.
I fully understand that.