I deeply regret that the Ceann Comhairle has seen fit to adjourn the House on two occasions today. I think that this is unprecedented, certainly in recent times. It involves the loss of 50 minutes' time. In justification of ourselves on this side of the House, I should like to place on record that our Members were not unruly. The three different matters which we sought to raise were, firstly, the seeking of a debate on a matter of urgent national importance; secondly, the visit of the French President which took place yesterday and which had important implications for our agricultural interests; thirdly, a matter of some significance involving the Minister for Justice. I feel that we were entitled to raise these matters and have some discussion on them. On both occasions, in my view, the Members on this side of the House, while persisting in raising the matters, exploring them and seeking the assistance of the Chair in regard to them, were not unruly. It is regrettable that the Chair saw fit on these two occasions to adjourn the House. I say this in all sincerity and with due deference. Lest it reflect on the behaviour of this Party and its Members, I feel that I should say this much about the matter.
Written Answers. - Chair's Ruling: Statement.
I thank Deputy Haughey. I have taken the unusual course of allowing a statement on my ruling because that statement came on a day when the House was adjourned on two occasions. Deputy Haughey was here this morning when the House was first adjourned and I leave that to himself and I leave it to the report which will appear in the record of the House. I should like to put on record, however, that it was only after several of what I considered to be disorderly interruptions and an assurance from Deputies that I would not get order in the House, as long as disorderly remarks were reported some place, that I felt obliged to adjourn the House.
On the second occasion, Deputy Haughey was not present and again I shall rely on the records when they come out. One Deputy got up and raised a matter which I feel he must have known was not in order at that time, and I so ruled. It took several efforts and a threat of action to get that Deputy to sit down. Another Deputy stood up and raised another matter and, while it was a separate matter, the principle which applied to the first ruling clearly applied to the second. One Deputy who frequently gets up, shall I say, on the Order of Business arose on a number of occasions about other matters. Then when the matters appeared to be cleared up another Deputy, who rarely gives any trouble in the House or is rarely disorderly, got up on one of the matters on which I had already ruled, and insisted on raising it once again, and insisted on speaking while the Chair was speaking.
This went on, Deputy Haughey, argument and wrangle for ten or 15 minutes. I do not want to appear to be frivolous and I do not want to appear to be provocative but you yourself, Deputy Haughey, are on record on the day on which I first took this Chair of an acceptance of the Chair and an end to argument with the Chair. Now if I am to preserve the dignity of the House as a national assembly I must get co-operation. If it is thought I am acting outside my jurisdiction or in an unreasonable manner the machinery is there to call me to task in a formal way.
I want now to put this on record: I have the best of relationships with the Members of this House and we have, I think, held more meetings of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges since this Dáil was elected than occurred in the same time span in previously elected Dáils and in all those meetings I have never been called to task and I have never even been questioned. I appeal now to the Members of the House. If Standing Orders are defective, or do not give them the latitude to which they feel they are entitled, there is a way of remedying that and, as long as I am in this House, I will to the best of my ability, as I said on the day I was elected, operate the Standing Orders of the House. I am calling the next item now. I do not want any more discussion on this. Item No. 11, Deputy Denis Foley is in possession.
I am not, a Cheann Comhairle, going to enter into the matters you have mentioned. I have made my protest and made the position clear and I accept it is no part of our business to be at odds with the Chair and to waste the time of the House on procedural wrangles, and I hope we will succeed in avoiding that to the best of our ability in future. All I ask is that you perceive to the greatest extent you can our point of view and the desire of my colleagues to raise matters which appear to them to be very important, perhaps important in the opinion of a particular Member or particular Members, and perhaps you could see their point of view in very urgent matters. Deputies on this side feel frustrated from time to time, but that is not the point I rose to make. I want to point out to you that the Government are, I am afraid, treating the House with great disrespect. They refused to have a Minister here practically all day today. I just want to draw your attention to that.
The Chair is only concerned with a quorum being present and then only when his attention is drawn to the fact. Deputy Denis Foley, please.
On a point of order, it is not my intention now to query your ruling but merely to point out the fact and place it on record——
I am sorry, Deputy. If Deputy MacSharry is going to point out a fact and, like the last time when he got up after another five or six people and continued, I cannot allow that. I am very sorry but please do not ask me to allow that.
Just a point of order.
A point of order, yes, but it must be a point of order.
It is just a point of order so that we will all know the exact position. We want to help you just as much as, I am sure, you would like to help us. The House was adjourned while I was speaking without you even requesting me to resume my seat.
On a point of order, would the Chair accept the House had ordered that Questions should terminate at 3.30 p.m. They went on until twenty minutes to four. That was in breach of the order of this House.
There is a standing practice here, and Deputy Tunney knows this, that a margin is allowed for supplementary questions. The Chair tries to be reasonable and the Leader of your party suggests that he should be a bit flexible. There is a standing practice to allow a supplementary question or two if Question Time finishes dead on 3.30 p.m. as it did today and Deputy Tunney should check because it did not go until twenty to four. It went to marginally less than twenty five to four.
I thank the Ceann Comhairle and I thank him for permitting me to address him on a point of order of the House. I am sure the record will show that at a minute to half past three two questions were called and obviously you could not have a reply and supplementaries in one minute.
I am calling Deputy Denis Foley on Item No. 11.