asked the Minister for the Environment the progress since 8th November, 1977, in regard to a final decision to carry out the Government's commitment on the Southern Cross road route through south county Dublin.

In my reply to Deputy Kelly on 8th November, I indicated that the Southern Cross Route proposals were related to the major road recommendations contained in the Dublin transportation study and that I was awaiting the outcome of a general review of these recommendations which the Dublin City and County Manager had been requested to undertake. I have not yet received the result of that review. I have since met a deputation from the Southern Cross Route Study Group to whom I have explained the position.

The first question I should like to ask is why is the Minister for Fisheries taking the questions of the Minister for the Environment whom we all saw here this morning at 10.30 a.m.?

That is not a relevant question.

I do not want to quarrel with you, Sir.

The Deputy is not a novice in this House.

It is central to our parliamentary democracy that Question Time should take place and that the person who should answer the questions, unless prevented by official business, which perhaps he is, must be over there to do so?

For the record the Minister is on official business with an annual meeting of the General Council of County Councils, the most representative body of local authorities.

Is reading from a script prepared by his officials more important than answering questions here? Could the Minister for Fisheries not have deputised for him?

Deputy Kelly is disorderly and I am surprised because he is not a novice in this House.

There is no point in my pursuing this Minister with supplementary questions he knows nothing about.

17.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he will sanction an allocation of funds for the proposed Shankill by-pass, County Dublin; and when work will commence on the project.

Preliminary proposals recently submitted by Dublin County Council for a new by-pass road at Shankill are at present being examined in my Department. The question of grant allocation will not arise until final plans have been agreed with the council and I am not in a position therefore to say when construction work will commence.

May I ask a supplementary on Question No. 16?

We have passed on from that. The Minister has answered Question No. 17.

The Ceann Comhairle did not allow any supplementary on it.

On a point of order——

Will the Deputy please resume his seat. Deputy Quinn wants to raise a point of order.

On a point of order, I respectfully suggest that, while Deputy Keating was trying to ask a supplementary on another question, I was denied the opportunity of asking a supplementary on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Horgan, who cannot be here. We rushed on ahead. With respect, I should like to ask a supplementary on Question No. 17. Is that in order?

We had a lot of disorder from Deputy Kelly in relation to the question to which the Deputy is referring.

That is not fair.

I could not possibly call on everybody offering to ask a supplementary at that stage. The Deputy will have other occasions. No Deputy may do anything disorderly. An ex-Chief Whip is the last person I would expect to question order in this House.

You are not being fair, Sir, in lecturing me about that. I am perfectly entitled to complain about what is being done here. I would not be doing my job as a Deputy if I did not.

There is a time and place for that, not at Question Time.

I was attempting to ask a supplementary when Deputy Keating was asking you a question. I wish to ask a supplementary Question on No. 17. Am I in order in doing that?

In the unusual circumstances I will permit the Deputy to ask a brief supplementary.

I understand from the Minister's reply on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, if I heard the answer correctly, that a decision on the Shankill by-pass is dependent on the overall decision-making process for the road network for the Dublin region. Is that correct?

That is correct.

Could the Minister give any indication as to how we will break out of this Catch 22 situation? Could he indicate to the House when a decision on the overall road scheme will be taken by the Department of the Environment?

Hopefully by the end of the year there should be some finality in this matter. Consultations are now at a fairly advanced stage. I have a full brief on the details which have been worked out. One thing certain is that this Government will not run away from the problem as the previous Minister for Local Government ran away completely from the whole Dublin transportation issue.

Now we know why the Minister is answering the questions.

May I ask the Minister to define the words "some finality"?

There will be finality this year and we will not run away from the problem. This matter should have been settled last year but the previous Minister for Local Government refused to do anything about the Dublin transportation problem. This problem cannot be ignored any longer and there will be finality in the coming year.

In the immediate near future.

Next year, 1978.

I simply want to ask the deputy for the Minister for the Environment to say yes or no whether a decision will be made at the end of this year on the roads system for the Dublin area.

I said yes twice, 1978.

The Minister said there should be some finality in the matter.

I said positively and definitely, as the House will agree, that this will be decided in 1978, before the end of 1978. I said it twice.