asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if he has received applications from oil companies and petrol retailers for price increases; and, if so, (a) the amount of each increase sought and (b) the increased cost per gallon of motor oil entailed by such increases.

Since information in regard to individual applications or products involved in such applications must be treated as confidential, in accordance with section 25 of the Prices Act, 1958, it is not possible for me to give the information sought by the Deputy.

With respect——

Question Time is over.

On that basis I ask that Question No. 21 be postponed until tomorrow. I am entitled to ask a supplementary on it.

The Deputy should at least notify the Chair before we reach the question.

The point is that the people who ask questions are entitled to ask supplementaries when those questions are answered. I am asking that Question No. 21 be postponed.

Question No. 21 has been answered.

The Deputy must be allowed to ask a supplementary.

He need not be. That is a matter at the discretion of the Ceann Comhairle. No supplementary need be asked.

You are ruling out a supplementary without even being aware of what it is.

It is at the discretion of the Chair. The Deputy is well aware of that.

Will you allow two supplementaries?

Question Time is over. We spent ten minutes talking irrelevantly about fish about which there is nothing on the Order Paper.

I must ask that Question No. 21 be postponed.

It has been answered.

I did not hear the reply to it. It is an important question and I ask for it to be postponed.

That is not the fault of the Chair. There were general interruptions in the House at the time. I called the question several times and there was a cross-fire of recriminations.

The Chair must allow a supplementary from the Deputy.

The Chair must not.

Yes.

The Chair need not.

We have come to a sorry state in the House when the Chair can rule out any and all supplementaries. This ends the whole parliamentary practice with regard to questions.

According to Standing Orders any supplementary questions are at the discretion of the Chair.

Order. The time is up.

I am asking that Question No. 21 be postponed. I did not hear the Minister's reply.

The reply to the question is on the record of the House.

I do not want to dispute the matter, but I would ask that Question No. 21 be postponed.

It is a question of whether the Minister wishes to repeat it. The Chair had called the question and the question was answered and for a Deputy to get up after it was answered and to say that because he did not hear it he wants it postponed —

All right. If it is not on the Order Paper tommorrow it will be raised again in the House.

The Chair will have something to say to that.

And the Deputy as well.

The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.