asked the Minister for Finance why there has been no development at Dinish Island, Castletownbere, County Cork.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Cork Island.
30.
Mr. Kenny
The Commissioners of Public Works, on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, are carrying out large scale development of Dinish Island as part of the major fishery harbour centre at Castletownbere.
Does that include an advance factory which was promised some years ago?
Mr. Kenny
All the works here are connected with fisheries—with boatyards, a winch, a pier and so on but there is no question of an advance factory.
I understood that there was a proposal with the Office of Public Works for the provision of an advance factory.
Mr. Kenny
No. The proposal is for a full scheme of works to permit the development of the island and the site for factories but there is nothing here to suggest that an advance factory was ever promised.
Research in this regard was carried out.
Mr. Kenny
The full scheme of works to permit of the development of the island and a site for factories connected with the fishing industry is expected to be completed in the latter half of 1976.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary not aware that the real purpose of the development of Dinish Island is for the provision of factories based on the fishing industry?
Mr. Kenny
Yes.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary state what the Office of Public Works have been doing on this island during the past 12 months?
Mr. Kenny
The area adjacent to the island was dredged in 1970 at a cost of £70,000. Construction of a wharf on the island was undertaken in 1972 and substantial progress on the project has been made. Pile-driving undertaken in 1973 for the construction of a synchro-lift and boatyard has been completed. The island is linked to the mainland by a bridge that was completed in 1973 and reasonable road access is being provided on the island. Water services at Dinish Bridge are expected to be provided shortly by the county council and will then be extended to the island. Electricity requirements are being investigated. The synchro-lift and portion of the wharf will be operational in about mid-1976. The full scheme of works to permit of the development of the island as a site for factories connected with the fishing industry is expected to be completed in the latter half of next year.
A long time.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
On a point of order, can the Chair say whether new procedure has been introduced whereby a question is ruled out of order in anticipation of legislation? I refer to a question of mine relating to broadcasting into the Six Counties which has been ruled out of order because of legislation which is now before the Seanad but which may not be before this House for months. Is this not taking away the rights of Deputies and introducing new procedure?
I can assure the Deputy that it is very old procedure.
I understand that in the past when legislation or an Estimate was currently before the House the procedure to which I am referring was adopted but I submit that in this case there is a deviation from that procedure and that a totally different approach is being adopted.
I assure the Deputy that there has been no deviation from procedure.
On a point of order, yesterday I submitted a Private Notice Question which you ruled out of order on the grounds that it did not satisfy the requirements of Standing Orders in relation to the matter being of public and urgent importance. You accepted that the matter—I refer to the remarks made by the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs during an RTE interview on Sunday last—was of public importance but I would argue that this matter was also urgent in that there was need for an immediate assurance to the minority population in the North that the policy of the Government, not withstanding the remarks of the Minister, was being pursued, that is, the policy of power-sharing.
I disagreed with your ruling but in the light of the Taoiseach's promised statement on the matter I did not pursue it further. Yesterday our party decided to put forward a Special Notice Question in the name of our spokesman on Transport and Power, Deputy Barrett, regarding the imminent 33? per cent increase in CIE fares. Again, the question was ruled out of order. Apparently this was done on the same grounds as applied in the other case—that it did not comply with the requirement of Standing Orders that the matter be urgent and of public importance.
Can you justify that ruling? The matter concerned is very important and it would be my intention to pursue it if I do not receive a satisfactory explanation as to why it was ruled out of order.
To qualify for private notice treatment of a question of the type referred to, the question must relate to some sudden development which could not be dealt with effectively by a question on ordinary notice. My information is that Deputy Barrett could have raised this matter by putting down an ordinary question. The increases in fares referred to were announced on Thursday last so that the Deputy would have had ample time to table a question in the ordinary way for this week. Consequently, the question does not qualify for private notice treatment.
That explanation does not stand up to examination in the light of the facts. First, the announcement was not made on Thursday last. It was made by way of the publication of the report of the Prices Advisory Commission on which there was a stop order for Friday, May 2. Deputy Barrett could not have had official notice of that increase, although there was newspaper speculation in the days previous, until the publication was released. He got that on Friday but in the ordinary course of events he would have been on his way home then. If, even then he had submitted a question it would not have been in time for the ordinary Order of Business until later this week. In the light of the procedure of the House there was no likelihood whatever that a question submitted to the Minister for Industry and Commerce, whose first question on today's Order is No. 159 and whose last question is No. 179, would have been taken this week. That question would have been likely to have been No. 180 on the Order Paper. I submit that there was no doubt about the public importance of the matter concerned. The increases were due to have come into operation on Monday last but by reason either of some dilatory action on the part of the Government or because of some inability on the part of CIE to implement the increases, they have been postponed until Monday next. Regardless of that there can be no doubt about the urgency and public importance of the matter which involves a huge increase in transport fares which will affect almost everybody in the country. Therefore, I suggest that the matter should have been allowed by way of Special Notice Question today.
I assure the Deputy that it is much easier for the Chair to allow a question than to disallow it. The normal practices and procedures were applied by the Chair in these matters.
In the light of the refusal of my question yesterday and of the refusal of Deputy Gibbons's question, one is inclined to question what rights the Opposition have and to what extent we are being facilitated by the Chair in this respect. This is a democracy not a totalitarian regime. Unless we get ample opportunity of presenting our case on behalf of the public in a matter of urgent and public importance we shall have to take the matter further. On behalf of Deputy Barrett, I ask that this matter be raised on the Adjournment of the House this evening. I want to put behind this request whatever my position as Leader of the Opposition gives me.
I am anxious to facilitate the Deputy in every way possible.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach (Deputy Kelly) rose.
I do not think this gentleman can have anything to add unless he wishes to protect the Chair.
The Chair is anxious to facilitate Deputy Lynch and shall communicate with him in this matter.
Deputy Lynch might have the courtesy to wait until the Deputy offering has opened his mouth before prejudging what he intends saying. Is it not a fact that the Estimate for the Department under which this matter falls is at present before the House and anything the Opposition want to say about it can be said within the next few hours?
Is the Parliamentary Secretary acting as the Ceann Comhairle?
That is not the function of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach. Our spokesman on Transport and Power who put down this Special Notice Question has already spoken on the Estimate for Transport and Power and, under Standing Orders, will not be permitted to speak again. There is no reason whatever why this facility, this democratic right, should be denied to our spokesman on Transport and Power.
I observe the manner in which the Opposition raised these procedural matters. It is the usual 4 o'clock merry-go-round—a cheap headline in two minutes.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary suggesting that a cheap headline is being sought by me in the face of a very steep increase imposed by this Government on the cost of transport? This is a cover-up.
(Interruptions.)
The House is moving on to the Estimate.
I am pointing out that we are in the middle of a public debate during which the Opposition can make hay.
Question Time is now over.
The Parliamentary Secretary would like dictatorship.
I will not be bullied by the Opposition.
The Parliamentary Secretary is covering up the cracks.
I put down a question asking whether the secrecy of Cabinet meetings was being maintained. It was disallowed and I was not given any reason. In fact, I was not even informed by the Ceann Comhairle why my question was disallowed. Everybody knows that the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs is keeping diaries. Will they be published like the Crossman diaries?
The Deputy knows that Question Time is now over and we cannot pursue that matter.
If we cannot get our rights as representatives of our people what will happen? This type of question is being ruled out of order and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach is the man responsible.
I suggest to the Deputy that if he has a question to put to the Ceann Comhairle he should see the Ceann Comhairle.
It is a very serious situation if the Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach is deciding which questions should be allowed in the Dáil.
Do not be an ass.
The Deputy is not in order.
I want to know if the secrecy of Cabinet meetings is being maintained. Has the Taoiseach got an assurance from each of his Ministers that diaries will not be published in the future?
On a point of order, I want your advice and direction as to how I ought to proceed in the matter of having parliamentary questions put to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries concerning the taxation of beef sold to intervention. A question from me on this a couple of weeks ago was ruled out of order by the Chair on the grounds that the Finance Bill was before the House and it could be more appropriately raised on that. I submit that is not the case. It could not be appropriately raised that. I want a direction from the Chair as to how a Member of the Opposition, or any Member of the House, is to probe a matter of grave importance at this time?
The Deputy has long parliamentary experience and he knows it is not in order to raise that matter in this fashion.
I submit that the Chair has a duty to facilitate the Opposition and that that duty is certainly not being fulfilled at present. We will have to take other steps if we do not get ordinary facilities.
The Chair has taken innumerable insults from that side of the House.
The greatest insult came from the Parliamentary Secretary.