A Chinn Comhairle, as a personal matter, before the business is begun, I wish to ask Mr. Griffith when he is going to give me my record?
QUESTION OF PROCEDURE.
At once.
I will not allow this matter to be renewed here to-day. It is out of order.
Then do I understand you are not going to allow me to make a personal explanation?
In this House at all?
I say I am not going to prevent you making a personal explanation, but it will have to come in order. The proceedings yesterday evening were out of order. We cannot continue them now.
I ask you to inform me when my opportunity will come.
The matter will have to arise in the way provided by the Standing Orders. It will have to arise on notice of some kind.
A personal explanation cannot arise except under notice of motion. I submit, a Chinn Comhairle, it is an astounding ruling and I respectfully give you an opportunity of revising it.
I am going now to proceed with the Orders of the Day.
A Chinn Comhairle, an extraordinary statement was made by the President of the Dáil yesterday evening with regard to Mr. Erskine Childers—one which I think should, in the ordinary course of events, give to Mr. Childers the right of reply by way of personal explanation. The President promised yesterday evening that here he would give Mr. Childers' "record," as he called it. I do not know how that would arise. That would be a matter for the President to discuss with yourself. But if Mr. Childers wants an opportunity to give an explanation at this or at any other time, when such a serious personal charge is made against him, I submit, A Chinn Comhairle, you cannot possibly refuse him that opportunity.
I do not intend refusing an opportunity but I insist that these things should proceed according to the orders laid down.
When a member makes a serious allegation against the honour of another member in this assembly it is only fair to the man whose honour has been questioned that the person who makes that allegation should at once produce proofs to substantiate it or else withdraw it.
You will find there are means of bringing this thing up in order. I cannot allow the order of these proceedings to be interfered with permanently.
Am I right in thinking that that is the ruling from you in the case of a gross personal attack on a Deputy of this House? I was to be presented with some record. I never received it. It is my duty to put down a notice in the paper calling attention to the matter and to move that I did not deserve that attack.
My ruling is, in this case, that we are going to take up the Orders of the Day.
It is only turning the proceedings of the House into an English courtmartial.
It is a question of privilege. A personal attack was made by the President of the Dáil.
I cannot have a discussion on this. I have ruled that we are going on with the Orders of the Day.
As a private member, I would like to know when or how we can raise it?
I asked you, and I ask you again, how is this matter to be raised precisely?
The President said yesterday that whatever he has is to be handed in. Can it be raised when it is handed in? Will he give notice of it when he presents it to the Dáil? Surely you cannot allow that. You would not have it in any assembly in the world. You cannot have that. A Chinn Comhairle, I will be forced to move the adjournment of the House unless you inform us when this can be raised.
As far as I am concerned, A Chinn Comhairle, you can raise it at once.
It is not to me a matter of anybody's personal concern. It is a matter of the change of public business.
I think if they want information as to the best method of dealing with this, it can be raised on the adjournment. We came here to do business. If we have to stand up every time a member says something which affects us to make personal explanations, I think we would be kept busy.
They should not be allowed.
They should not be allowed but it is impossible to stop those things.