Tógfar uimhreacha 6, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18, 19 agus 21. Is í uimhir 54 a bheidh mar Ghnó Comhaltaí Príobháideacha.
Riar Na hOibre.
Could I ask the Taoiseach if he would confirm this morning that the formula of words used by the Minister for Education in the House last night was intended to convey, in the same form that the Taoiseach conveyed it to me, that the pupil-teacher ratio in 1988 will remain the same as the pupil-teacher ratio in 1987?
I should like to advise the Deputy that we cannot this morning have a rehash of the business of last evening.
This is important for the order of the House because you know as well as I do, as well as the Taoiseach does, and as well as the rest of the House does, that for the proper ordering of the business of the House there has to be a certain relationship of mutual confidence between the Whips of the parties. If the Taoiseach is now deliberately going to adopt the procedure of disavowing messages he sends through his Chief Whip it will be very difficult for the other parties to pay any attention whatever to the Government Chief Whip. If is a matter of importance for the order of the House and, therefore, appropriate, I submit, for the Order of Business.
The Chair has consistently taken the view that debates of yesterday shall not be resumed on the following morning. The Taoiseach may offer, if he so wishes.
I am only offering on a point of order. I do not want to be disorderly or to in any way interfere with the ruling of the Chair. On a point of order, I just want to say that the position as represented by the Leader of the Opposition is not the position as I understand it.
(Interruptions.)
The Taoiseach has now disavowed himself and disavowed his Chief Whip, and the House, in turn, has been disavowed by his Minister for Education.
Order, we cannot debate this matter now.
Which one is going to go? Is the Taoiseach going to fire the Chief Whip? Is he going to fire the Minister for Education or, with God's help, is the Taoiseach going to go himself? Is the Taoiseach going to go himself? If he does not like the message he either should not send it or he should shoot the messenger.
I am calling on Deputy Mac Giolla.
Ba mhaith liom a fhiafraigh den Taoiseach cathain atá sé i gceist aige An Bille um Eiseachadadh (Leasú), 1987, a chur os comhair na Dála?
Beidh na hAoirí ag déanamh machnaimh ar an cheist sin.
An measann an Taoiseach go mbeidh dóthain ama aige an Bille a chur trín Dáil roimh an chéad lá de mhíi na Nollag.
Beidh na hAoirí ag smaoineamh ar dhóthain ama a thabhairt do gach éinne maidir leis an mBille sin.
I should like to ask the Taoiseach if he will now clarify the Government's position in relation to the Programme for National Recovery in view of the defeat of the Government's amendment last night?
That does not arise this morning. I have already ruled on that matter. I will not allow a rehash of last evening's business.
The matter has not arisen yet.
The Deputy will have to find some other ways and means of raising that matter. It does not arise on the Order of Business now.
I am anxious to put the question to the Taoiseach in view of the rejection by the Dáil of the Government's Programme for National Recovery.
I will not allow the Deputy to circumvent my ruling. The matter does not arise now.
May I ask the Taoiseach if the Government have anything to say about this? May I take it that in view of the decision of the House last night that the plan has now been rejected?
I seek the guidance of the Chair in relation to the events that occurred in the House last night. In the course of a debate certain things were said as to deals done outside the House.
The Deputy is continuing to raise a matter that I have already ruled on.
The reality is that it now appears that somebody is lying, quite blatantly, and we are not being given the full facts as to what happened. As Members of the House we are entitled to be given the facts.
That matter does not arise now.
The matter should be sent to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges because somebody is lying and hiding behind lies.
The Deputy will have ample opportunity for ventilating such grievances if they should arise.
The position is totally unsatisfactory. The Taoiseach will have to make a statement on this matter. Either he did or did not give instructions and that is what he should clarify.
I am passing on to the next business. I have already ruled on this matter. Níl an rud sin in ordú ar Riar na hOibre.
Tá sé in ordú. I believe that, given the very unsatisfactory events of last evening, the Taoiseach owes it to the House to let the House know exactly what the position is. It is his responsibility.
Please, Deputy.
I want the Taoiseach to make a statement telling the House exactly what happened. Was there an assurance given or not? The reality is that somebody is lying to the House.
I am not prepared to allow a discussion on last night's proceedings.
I want to refer the matter to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges for urgent investigation.
The Deputy may take an initiative in that regard. He has members of his party on that committee.
The Order of Business makes reference to Private Members' time this evening. I would like you to tell me if the Labour Party are now free to place a motion on education as their business for Private Members' time in view of the fact that the Government have stated that the events of last evening cancel themselves out. If they cancel themselves out to save the Government embarrassment, they should cancel themselves out to facilitate the Labour Party using Private Members' time.
I will communicate with the Deputy in respect of that query.
With your permission, I wish to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of the Private Notice Question addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs last Wednesday afternoon.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment an issue of public safety concerning the presence of methane gas at Offington Court, Sutton.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I wish to raise on the Adjournment the question of the cutbacks in ACOT and AFT and the huge reduction in staff in those bodies.
I will communicate with the Deputy.