Requests to move Adjournment of...: 11 Nov 2008: Dáil debates (KildareStreet.com)

Dáil debates

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 32

2:30 pm

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Before coming to the Order of Business I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 32. I propose to call the Deputies in the order in which they submitted notices to my office.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to raise a matter of national importance, namely, the threat posed to society by organised criminal gangsters, as highlighted by the death of an innocent citizen, Mr. Shane Geoghegan, in Limerick at the weekend — the 17th so-called "gangland" murder this year alone and the 128th professional hitman assassination since May 1997; the death and destruction being visited on communities in Limerick, Dublin and throughout the country as a consequence of the activity and behaviour of ruthless drug gangs and organised criminals; and the urgent need for the Government to respond in a direct and meaningful way.

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to raise a matter of national importance, namely, the need to increase the annual funding made available to the National Suicide Prevention Office from €3.05 million to €10 million for the introduction of the recommendations of the expert group on suicide prevention as outlined in the report, Reach Out, and in view of research, going back as far as 1929, which has repeatedly found that suicide rates increase in times of recession and depression and that there are higher rates of suicide among the unemployed.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to raise a matter of national importance, namely, the fact that Ireland has the lowest reporting rate of sexual assault or rape in Europe as a result of the Government's failure to provide localised sexual assault treatment units, despite finance being ring-fenced in budget 2006 for new units to be opened in Mullingar — which was promised before Christmas — and Galway and others updated, including the unit in Letterkenny, to provide the necessary forensic testing for legal proceedings to be initiated.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to raise a matter of local and national importance, namely, the need for the Minister for Transport to make an urgent statement to the House on the looming strike action at Aer Lingus and to ensure that all possible industrial relations mechanisms of the State are immediately utilised to facilitate the resumption of talks, with the aim of avoiding at all costs serious disruption for the travelling public in the busy pre-Christmas period and the appalling impact of the proposed massive job cuts on the Aer Lingus workforce given rising levels of unemployment in north and west Dublin, the mid-Leinster region and in Shannon and the mid-west.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to raise a matter of national importance, namely, the need, following the brutal and savage murder of Shane Geoghegan in Limerick early Sunday morning, for an emergency debate in the Dáil today on tackling gangland crime in Limerick, with the Taoiseach outlining to us in detail the contents of his and the Minster for Justice, Equality and Law Reform's discussions with the Garda Commissioner on this matter and what specific Garda resources, legislative and other measures will be put in place immediately to tackle this crisis.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss a matter of national importance, namely, the need for the Minister for Health and Children to apologise to the House for misleading it last week when she denied in reply to a parliamentary question that she had received a copy of the report into the circumstances of the death of Tania McCabe and her baby son at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital when, as was stated by a representative of the Health Service Executive in a statement to the "Loose Talk" programme on LMFM radio on 7 May 2008, the Minister received a copy of the report when it was made public; the need for the Minister to explain why she denied receiving the report; the need for her to explain why, if she did not receive the report as she claims, she did not seek a copy of the report; the need to explain why she told lies to me in this matter and why she had so little interest in the case that she does not even know whether she received a copy of the report——

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Deputy knows well, that is not in order and cannot remain on the record of the House. I ask the Deputy to withdraw the accusation that lies were told in the House.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It is not an accusation, it is a fact. I can show the Leas-Cheann Comhairle the evidence.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy knows the Standing Order well.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I have the evidence here that the Minister told lies.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy knows he is not allowed to make such an accusation. I ask him to show respect for the Chair and withdraw the accusation.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I do not want to argue with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, who is generally fair and impartial.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Will the Deputy withdraw his remark? That is a requirement of the House.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I will not deny what the Minister has done. I will withdraw nothing.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy must either withdraw the unparliamentary accusation against a Member or he must leave the House. A charge can only be made by substantive motion, and the Deputy is welcome to take that course if he so wishes. However, it is not allowable to make that charge against a Member of the House.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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There has been a lot worse happening in the north east——

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy will either withdraw——

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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——where report after report is sitting on the shelves and the Minister is neither implementing them nor doing anything about them.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy may not shout down the Chair. He must withdraw the accusation or else leave the House.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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That is a far greater offence than breaking the rules of the House.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I ask the Deputy finally to withdraw the accusation.