asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he is willing to provide a reduced rate for STD calls to continental states at off-peak evening and weekend hours.

In view of the loss of revenue that would be involved I do not propose to do so at present.

Would the Minister not agree that, apart from the misinformation he gave the House on the last occasion when I asked this question, the effect of a scheme of this kind, which I concede ought to be reciprocal if that can be arranged, would be to reduce very considerably the load on scarce lines during business hours, thus facilitating businessmen in this country and in European countries who have to do business with one another?

I want to take this opportunity to quote exactly what the Deputy said, as reported at column 262 of the Official Report of 11 June 1980:

Would the Minister be interested to know that the information he has given, at least in respect of the German Federal Republic, is absolutely wrong, that whichever official or officials put that information into his hand does not know what he is talking about? The Minister has given the House a piece of absolute misinformation——

He continued:

Would the Minister be interested to know that in the GFR, which is the European mainland company from which most telephone traffic to this country comes and to which most of the telephone traffic goes. It is possible on Sunday to telephone this country at about one-third of the ordinary week day rate?

He went on:

The Minister's file is wrong. Would the Minister get whichever official gave him that information to get the proper information? The German Post Office permits telephone calls at the same reduced rate to all other countries throughout the world inside and outside the EEC.

May I again state categorically that that is not so? That is an untruth. Neither I not any official in my Department has to take that type of language from an inept political gossoon who makes wild, outlandish, untrue and false statements regularly in this House against me and officials of my Department. I wrote a letter to him this morning confirming the position, a copy of which I have with me, and giving him the exact facts concerning the wild allegations he made against me and officials of my Department. I ask for an apology.

Deputy Cluskey. I will call Deputy Kelly.

I have several things to say.

I understood it was not permissible to quote during Question Time. May I now take it that there is a precedent established by the Minister which you have accepted and that we can all give quotations at Question Time in the future?

No. The Deputy cannot take that.

You sat there and listened to a lengthy quotation.

The Minister is entitled to reply. Deputies ask questions and the Minister is entitled to reply.

By way of quotation?

If necessary, by way of quotation.

Can we take it that we can ask questions and supplementaries by way of quotation?

No.

Why?

Because the rules on this are clearcut. Deputies ask questions. They are not permitted to quote in the course of asking questions.

But the Minister is in the course of replying.

This has been the rule down through the years. The Minister is giving information.

Could I ask the Minister whether he recalls saying at column 262 of the Official Report of that date:

The general position is that reduced telephone rates of the kind mentioned are not offered by European mainland countries either to one another or to this country and Britain.

Would the Minister not agree that is, as I have stated, a piece of absolute, culpable misinformation——

No.

——for which he and his Department must carry the responsibility? I have not got a Department behind me. I act on my impression which can easily be mistaken and to some extent in this respect was mistaken but was substantially correct. The Minister who has a Department was misleading the House——

Would the Deputy ask a question? That is a long statement.

Would the Minister not agree that what he said on 11 June was, as I then said and say again now, absolute misinformation?

No. I will not say that to Deputy Kelly. I will clarify it. I am sorry Deputy Cluskey took it up the wrong way because I wanted to make it very clear. The Deputy said the German Post Office permits telephone calls at the same reduced rate to all other countries throughout the world inside and outside the EEC. That is not so. The matter rests there. If the Deputy had any compassion he would apologise to the officials against whom he made wild allegations. He should be ashamed of himself.

A final supplementary.

The Minister is inviting me, if you like, to offer a personal explanation. Let me say to him that I have received from the officials of his Department——

Please do not say it to him; please ask a question.

I have always received the greatest courtesy and helpfulness from them in anything I have ever had to do with them. All I am saying is — and I am saying it again — that I am asking the Minister to concede that the substantive reply, let alone the extraneous matter which followed, which he delivered here on 11 June, was a piece of absolute misinformation. I still have not finished.

It was the absolute truth in reply to the German republican question the Deputy asked.

I did not ask anything about German republicans. We have enough trouble with our own.

Ceist 25.

The Deputy made an allegation against me and my officials. I denied it and I asked him to apologise.

Will the Minister please obey the Chair and reply to Ceist 25?

Service is dependent on the provision of additional facilities.

Where is he now? He is running away.

25.