asked the Minister for Education when the grant for flooring and roof repairs at Conahy national school, County Kilkenny will be sanctioned as it has been authorised by an inspector.
Written Answers. - County Kilkenny School.
441.
My Department await a report and documentation in respect of repairs carried out at Conahy national school, County Carlow.
The question of a grant will be considered when the necessary documents are received.
A Cheann Comhairle, may I ask your clarification on the following matter? I submitted a Private Notice Question today in relation to the position of the nine jailed Ranks workers. I was informed a short time ago by your Office that the question had been disallowed for two reasons, one being that the situation had not changed since the Adjournment Debate on the subject and the second that the matter was sub judice. I would submit to you, a Cheann Comhairle, that since nine——
No, Deputy, please. I allowed the Deputy to make his point without interruption but I cannot hear submissions against the ruling of the Chair here. The ruling of the Chair and the reasons for it were conveyed to the Deputy at length. The main one was that it is obviously repetitious. I am sorry, Deputy, I have had to rule it out. I am also sorry that I cannot have a discussion on the ruling here.
If there is procedure for a Deputy to put down a Private Notice Question then surely it is not unreasonable to expect clarification of the reasons such a question was refused. It would seem to me——
No, Deputy——
If you would just allow me to make one simple point, Sir. When the Adjournment Debate was held there were two workers jailed. There are now nine and possibly another——
Deputy, the Chair took all those matters into account. He took into account the nature of the Minister's reply, the way it was accepted, and came to the conclusion — having considered the advice he had received — that the Deputy's question could not be allowed as a Private Notice Question. He so informed the Deputy and the Chair regrets to say that that is that. There cannot be a discussion about it.
I would submit that no reasonable person could accept the reasons given by your Office, Sir.
The Deputy has another way of bringing it up if he wishes to question the Chair's ruling. He is at perfect liberty to do it in an orderly way, as prescribed by the rules. The Order of Business.