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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 7 Apr 1992

Vol. 418 No. 4

Request to Move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 30.

Before proceeding to the Order of Business I propose to deal with a number of related motions under Standing Order 30 dealing with two different topics. I propose to deal with these two topics separately and I will call on Deputies in the order in which they submitted their notices to my office. I now call on Deputy McCartan to state the matter of which he has given notice to me.

A Cheann Comhairle, with your permission, and the leave of the House, I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 30 to discuss the following matters of public interest, the statements made in a newspaper interview at the weekend by the High Court Judge and President of the Law Reform Commission, Mr. Justice Rory O'Hanlon; the implications for the Judiciary and the Law Reform Commission of Mr. Justice O'Hanlon involving himself in matters of political controversy; the disclosure by Mr. Justice O'Hanlon that he is a member of the secretive religious organisation, Opus Dei; the potential damage to the standing of the Law Reform Commission by the public expression of such narrow sectarian views on the part of its president and his membership of Opus Dei; and the consequent need for the Government to review Mr. Justice O'Hanlon's appointment as president of that commission.

In view of the importance of this matter, and in particular the need to preserve and protect the integrity of the Law Reform Commission, I hope the Chair will agree to my request.

Having considered the matter fully I do not consider it to be one contemplated by Standing Order 30. Therefore, I cannot grant leave to move the motion. Let me say to the House now, there is a long standing practice that members of the Judiciary are independent by virtue of the Constitution——

It is a two way street.

——and the conduct of judges can be dealt with in this House only be way of substantive motion.

Make a deal with him to stay out of politics.

I have received notices from Deputies Taylor and Deasy and I now call on Deputy Taylor to state the matter of which he has given notice to me.

I seek leave to move the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 30 to discuss the following: That Dáil Éireann views with extreme concern the decision by the then Minister of State at the Department of Industry and Commerce, Deputy Séamus Brennan, to leak a confidential letter to Mr. Larry Goodman and to allow an internal inquiry into the leak of the letter to take place without making it clear that he was the person responsible; Dáil Éireann calls on the Minister in these circumstances to offer his resignation to the Taoiseach forthwith and, failing that, calls on the Taoiseach to terminate his appointment as Minister for Education.

I now call on Deputy Austin Deasy to state the matter of which he has given notice to me.

My Private Notice Questions to the Minister and the Taoiseach were disqualified. With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 30 to discuss the important and urgent matter of the leaking of highly confidential information by the then Minister of State at the Department of Industry and Commerce, now the Minister for Education, Deputy Séamus Brennan, to a private individual in the beef industry. In particular, the Dáil should hear from that Minister how he allowed a departmental investigation of civil servants to continue around him without volunteering this information.

Second, the Dáil should know at what time the then Minister for Industry and Commerce, now the Taoiseach, became aware that the Minister was responsible for the leak.

Having considered the matters fully, I do not consider them to be contemplated by Standing Order 30. Therefore, I cannot grant leave to move the motion.

If the information had been given it would have saved the State £10 million.

I recommend to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges that we get rid of Standing Order 30 because it is only a joke.

I should tell the Deputy, and the House, that a call for the resignation of a member of the Govenment or the termination of his appointment is of such great import that it can only be dealt with by a substantive motion of this House. Accordingly the Dáil can, in practice, deal with the matter in the normal way.

Is that an invitation?

Who is he the fall guy for?

A Deputy

Can the Minister tell us how many other letters he leaked?

Barr
Roinn