asked the Minister for Health when the last final qualifying examination was held by the pharmaceutical society; how many candidates presented themselves; how many were successful; what entrance fee is payable by candidates for the final examination; and whether any fee is payable by candidates entering for the examinations for the second or subsequent attempts.

The last examination for qualification as pharmaceutical chemist was held by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland in April, 1952. Seventy-five candidates presented themselves for examination. Seventeen passed the entire examination and eleven passed part of the examination. The examination fee is £8 8s. for the first and each subsequent attempt at the final examination.

Does the Minister think that regulations which only permit of 17 out of 75 candidates passing a qualifying examination in which the candidate has to pay a fee of £8 8s. every time he presents himself, are regulations which he should long continue to approve, or does he not think that measures should be taken to bring the standard more into relation with reality and to relieve relatively poor students of the obligation of paying £8 8s. every time they present themselves for examination?

Does the Minister think it is correct to bring all the candidates for such an examination to Dublin? Does he not think that it should be possible to provide provincial centres where candidates can get their pharmaceutical qualifications without coming to Dublin and increasing this heavy expenditure that is imposed upon them?

The two supplementaries seem to me to be separate questions.

Is the Minister aware that the Pharmaceutical Society are seeking sanction at the present time to introduce regulations to create greater facilities for their students as regards study? Further, arising out of his reply, it is not or has not been——

Is it the Minister who is replying or the Deputy?

——it is not or has not been the policy of the Pharmaceutical Society to fail their students but to assist them in every way, always bearing in mind their responsibility to the public.

That is not a question.

Further, the £8 8s. that is paid by the students is divided amongst four examiners, two of which are university examiners.

May I ask the Minister if, as has been alleged here, a prosecution was instituted by the Pharmaceutical Society against Deputy Dillon?

That is purely a separate question.

On a point of order. This is a monstrous abuse of the processes of this House. There is no vestige of truth in this allegation.

It is a dirty, lousy, typical Fianna Fáil trick.

There is no vestige of truth in this atrocious and disreputable allegation, but, if there was, is it not a monstrous abuse of this House that it should be made and is it not an outrage for this creature to make an allegation of that kind and his masters to laugh at it like jackasses?

The Taoiseach is doing himself a great honour in standing over that kind of dirt.

I am not standing over any dirt.

He is quite capable of standing over dirt. He is standing over Deputy Cowan's dirt.

It is as disreputable a rag——

Order!

It is a sad state of affairs to hear such laughter over a horrible untruth.

For three and a half years Deputy Captain Cowan was a saint.

Order!

Is it clear that the outrageous allegation of this ridiculous little creature contains no vestige of truth? I do not ask him to withdraw it, because I do not care what he says. It is clearly a falsehood, and I would stigmatise it more strongly if I were not forced to sit in the same House with him.