I name the Deputy. The motion is that Deputy Meaney be suspended from the service of the Dáil.
Suspension of Member.
Out of respect for the request of the Chair I move the motion although I know Deputy Meaney wanted to be expelled. I move:
That Deputy Thomas Meaney be suspended from the service of the Dáil.
The Dáil divided: Tá, 54; Níl, 53.
Tá
- Barry, Peter.
- Barry, Richard.
- Begley, Michael.
- Belton, Luke.
- Belton, Paddy.
- Bermingham, Joseph.
- Bruton, John.
- Burke, Joan T.
- Burke, Liam.
- Collins, Edward.
- Conlan, John F.
- Coogan, Fintan.
- Costello, Declan.
- Creed, Donal.
- Crotty, Kieran.
- Cruise-O'Brien, Conor.
- Desmond, Barry.
- Desmond, Eileen.
- Donegan, Patrick S.
- Donnellan, John.
- Enright, Thomas.
- Esmonde, John G.
- Finn, Martin.
- FitzGerald, Garret.
- Fitzpatrick, Tom. (Cavan).
- Flanagan, Oliver J.
- Gilhawley, Eugene.
- Governey, Desmond.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Hegarty, Patrick.
- Hogan O'Higgins, Brigid.
- Jones, Denis F.
- Kavanagh, Liam.
- Kelly, John.
- Kenny, Enda.
- Kyne, Thomas A.
- L'Estrange, Gerald.
- Lynch, Gerald.
- McLaughlin, Joseph.
- Malone, Patrick.
- Murphy, Michael P.
- O'Brien, Fergus.
- O'Connell, John.
- O'Donnell, Tom.
- O'Sullivan, John L.
- Pattison, Seamus.
- Ryan, John J.
- Ryan, Richie.
- Staunton, Myles.
- Taylor, Frank.
- Timmins, Golfrey.
- Toal, Brendan.
- Tully, James.
- White, James.
Níl
- Allen, Lorcan.
- Andrews, David.
- Barrett, Sylvester.
- Blaney, Neil T.
- Brady, Philip A.
- Brennan, Joseph.
- Breslin, Cormac.
- Briscoe, Ben.
- Browne, Seán.
- Brugha, Ruairí.
- Callanan, John.
- Carter, Frank.
- Colley, George.
- Collins, Gerard.
- Connolly, Gerard.
- Crinion, Brendan.
- Cronin, Jerry.
- Crowley, Flor.
- Daly, Brendan.
- de Valera, Vivion.
- Dowling, Joe.
- Farrell, Joseph.
- Faulkner, Pádraig.
- Fitzgerald, Gene.
- Fitzpatrick, Tom. (Dublin Central).
- Gallagher, Denis.
- Geoghegan-Quinn, Máire.
- Gibbons, James.
- Healy, Augustine A.
- Hussey, Thomas.
- Kenneally, William.
- Kitt, Michael P.
- Lalor, Patrick J.
- Leonard, James.
- Lynch, Celia.
- Lynch, Jack.
- McEllistrim, Thomas.
- MacSharry, Ray.
- Meaney, Tom.
- Molloy, Robert.
- Moore, Seán.
- Murphy, Ciarán.
- Nolan, Thomas.
- Noonan, Michael.
- O'Connor, Timothy.
- O'Kennedy, Michael.
- O'Leary, John.
- O'Malley, Desmond.
- Power, Patrick.
- Smith, Patrick.
- Timmons, Eugene.
- Walsh, Seán.
- Wilson, John P.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Kelly and B. Desmond: Níl, Deputies Lalor and Browne.
Question declared carried.
I should like to put it on record that all pairs were refused for this vote.
(Interruptions.)
Our Deputies who had been paired previously and regularly with the Opposition were permitted to go home or to their engagements. Those Deputies on the other side whom the Opposition had in their minds as pairs for these Deputies may or may not have voted, but ours, or most of them, had gone.
Where is your honour now?
Deputy Meaney will now withdraw from the Chamber.
As one of the people involved in the pairing business, I do not accept what the Parliamentary Secretary said. We had a vote of 53, Deputies were missing and that is about all of the Government side that we paired. Fair play, and mind you, pairing applies only to the official business of the House. What we are dealing with here was the putting out of a Member, whether rightly or wrongly I am not sure because I was not in the House, but I am told by my colleagues here that there was no reason for it, that if there was anybody in the wrong it was the Minister or somebody else.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
Order.
We do not accept for one single moment that we were dishonest in any way in regard to the pairing.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
I am not saying that Deputy Lalor or Deputy Browne was dishonest. I wish to make it clear that I am saying this only for the information of the House and those interested in the House's working. I do not accuse either of the Opposition Whips of dishonesty. All I am saying is that pairs which I had requested and which had been promised, were called off. Seven Deputies for whom I requested pairs were in the House and subsequently were permitted to leave. People, whose names would not in the ordinary way have been given to me until the vote has been called from the floor of the House, were absent, or most of them were absent. Whether the Opposition Deputies matched with them were absent or not I cannot say.
(Interruptions.)
Order— Deputy Blaney.
(Interruptions.)
Sir, we cannot be responsible for interruptions from Government benches.
Order. I must ask before any further points of order are made that the vote be completed. I must now ask the Deputy to leave the Chamber.
On a point of order——
(Interruptions.)
Deputy Blaney on a point of order.
On a point of order, may I ask the Ceann Comhairle for the benefit of those of us who do not seem to know the rules as set down by Deputy Kelly whether or not over the years it has been established practice that pairs apply only to the normal business of the House, which this was not?
Pairing is not a matter for the Chair. Deputy Meaney please leave the House.
For whom is it a matter?
I am asking Deputy Meaney to leave the House.
I may be outvoted by one single vote but I must leave the House. I am asking the Minister to substantiate the statement he made or withdraw it.
Please, Deputy Meaney.
(Interruptions.)
I challenge the Minister to substantiate what he said or withdraw what he said, one or the other, before I leave the House.
(Interruptions.)
Order. Deputy Meaney, please leave the House.
Deputy Meaney withdrew from the Chamber.