It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 3, 1 and 9. Private Members' Business will be No. 73.
Order of Business.
Will the Taoiseach give the House an outline of his itinerary in North America and tell us what official duties and engagements he will discharge when he is there?
I do not think this arises on the Order of Business.
I would be happy to do so but the number of my engagements is such that I doubt if I could recall them precisely from memory. However, I would be happy to give the Deputy a full list this afternoon. I would not wish to omit anything and if I spoke at this stage without preparation I might do so.
Will the Taoiseach indicate when it is proposed to have a Dáil discussion on the report of the Committee on Marriage Breakdown? Last week the Tánaiste indicated that the Whips were being asked to arrange a date as a matter of urgency. May I know if that date has yet been set?
I understand that what was said by the Tánaiste was that it is a matter for the Whips. I have no idea if there have been exchanges between them but no doubt if they wish for such a discussion it will emerge from such contacts.
Perhaps I might explain that in a further reply to my question when I asked if the Whips had been requested to discuss a date, the Tánaiste said they had not but that they would be looking at it as a matter of urgency. That was a week ago. How urgent is the matter and when is the date likely to be fixed?
I have no information on that but I have no doubt that when discussing the matter the Whips will come up with something if they think it appropriate.
My Private Notice Question was ruled out of order. On the Order of Business, may I ask the Taoiseach if he would be prepared to make some statement or to give some indication of what is happening in the port of Dublin? Is it a fact that the Cabinet are going to make a final decision on the subsidiary, Dublin Cargo Handlers ——
The matter may not be raised in this manner.
I put down a Private Notice Question which is the procedure under Standing Orders to deal with something that is crucial. Seven hundred jobs are at stake. There is to be a Cabinet meeting in less than 48 hours. Surely the situation comes under the definition of urgency?
I have ruled on the matter in accordance with Standing Orders.
In the case of Irish Shipping in which I was involved with my colleagues, Deputies Haughey and Wilson, we debated that matter after the event. Would it not be more appropriate in a major decision like this, affecting the principal port in the country, to discuss the matter today and to get some indication of what is happening?
We cannot discuss the matter now.
There will be a liquidation.
In deciding not to allow the question, I wonder if the Chair and his advisers were fully aware of the situation and the urgency involved. I put it to the Chair as an argument ——
I know the Deputy would not wish to mount an argument on the Chair's ruling and the situation is moving towards that.
I am not sure if the Chair and his advisers are aware that what is actually involved is the closing down of Dublin port.
That was stated in the question.
Surely that is a matter of urgency?
I took everything into consideration in arriving at my decision.
With due respect, is the Chair aware that the Dublin Port Authority is bankrupt and unless some action is taken as a matter of extreme urgency Dublin port will close down and 700 people will be put out of employment?
There are ways of seeking to bring up the matter other than on the Order of Business.
Without trespassing on the Chair's authority in this matter, could the Chair give us some indication as to how this matter is not of urgent public importance?
The Deputy is aware that it has never been the practice for the Chair to submit himself or his decisions to cross-examination in this House ——
Nothing could be further from my mind.
The Deputy may not intend that but I think that would be the end product of his suggestions.
The Chair is not a Dublin man and all I want to do is to satisfy myself that the Chair was fully aware of what was involved in Deputy Ahern's question, namely, the imminent closure of Dublin port as a bankrupt institution.
I am sorry but I cannot allow this matter to proceed in this way.
I understand the position of the Chair but he will not be aware that three Government Ministers have called in the shop stewards and the trade unions to tell them of the imminent closure of the port of Dublin.
I will not hear any more of this.
This is one of the most important matters in recent times.
What can we do?
In one sentence, the Deputy can ask for Government time. I will not allow a debate on the matter now.
May I ask the Taoiseach and the Chief Whip if we could have Government time to discuss the matter today? Do they know what I am talking about, that Dublin port is closing down?
Dún Laoghaire): Did the party opposite ask to have the matter raised on the Adjournment?
That is no good. I am asking now if we could have one or two hours of Government time to debate this urgent situation.
I have allowed the question and there is nothing more I can do. I am calling item No. 3.
What has the Taoiseach to say?
With the permission of the Chair I wish to raise on the Adjournment the frightening growth of criminal violence on the streets of Cork city in recent weeks.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
On today's Order Paper there is notice of a list of documents laid before the Dáil dealing with various orders made by the Minister for the Environment regarding the forthcoming local elections. Significantly, there is no such order included for Drogheda, Dundalk or Bray Urban District Councils with regard to the changes in wards. Will the Taoiseach or the Minister say when this order, which is necessary to allow the local elections to proceed in Drogheda, Dundalk and Bray, will be made?
There is no proposal to change the wards. I do not know what the Deputy is talking about.
In other words, the wards will be left as they are. That is fine.
The Government took the decision to leave over the question of the boundaries in urban areas and to deal with county council area boundaries. I do not quite know what the Deputy is at.
That will not wash but what the Taoiseach has said is fine. Of course, there was a massive row between Fine Gael and Labour——
The funny thing is that I did not hear about it.
We are not surprised. The Taoiseach did not hear about the neutrality row either.
It might be another subject with which the Taoiseach is bored.
That is why he is being sent to America for two weeks.
The Deputy's imagination is extraordinarily fertile.
Coming back to Dublin port——
We cannot go back to that now.
In view of the urgency of the matter, will the Taoiseach say if the two Whips may get together before 7 p.m. this evening to discuss the question of giving Government time to debate this urgent matter? Will the Taoiseach agree to that?
The Whips may discuss anything but it is not proposed to give Government time to discuss the matter. If the Opposition wish to raise it they can do so in the ordinary way on the Adjournment.
The Taoiseach has no interest in the matter. He does not want a discussion on the matter in this House.
Order, please.
We are interested in dealing with it, not talking about it. A characteristic of the Opposition is that they wish to talk about everything but do nothing.
This matter is urgent and it merits a Private Notice Question or Government time. However, if this is the only way of dealing with the matter, may I raise it on the Adjournment?
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
Again I seek to raise on the Adjournment the issue of Top Quality Products, Gorey, in receivership and the possibility of Government intervention to save 250 jobs.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
Is the Taoiseach in a position to indicate if he will be introducing legislation in the company law area this session? He will remember that he promised this legislation last term — either to implement the Fourth Directive under EC legislation, or in the domestic field of limited liability? Is he in a position to indicate now when either of those pieces of legislation will be introduced?
Yes, I would expect that the Fourth Directive legislation would be introduced this session.
I have been endeavouring for quite some time to get in. I want to ask permission to raise on the Adjournment the imminent closure of Dublin port as a result of the bankruptcy of the port authority.
Deputy Bertie Ahern has already given notice of his intention to raise that matter.
I was endeavouring to get in for some time.
Might I ask the Taoiseach when the Bill for the setting up of the National Development Corporation will be published?
The matter is too contentious. The Deputy should not be asking questions like that.
The Bill will be published in a matter of weeks. The heads of the Bill have been cleared by the Government, as announced by the Minister, and the text has been drafted. It will be in the House within a few weeks.