On a point of order, did the Minister move that Deputy Harte be suspended from the House?

Yes, he left for the day.

Before or after the Minister moved that he be suspended?

Not for the day. There was no question put to the House. The Deputy left the Chamber.

I suspended him.

It was moved by the Minister.

He said he was leaving. I will have to ask for an adjournment of the House to have the matter clarified.

If I suspend the Deputy he will be suspended for four days.

The Minister moved that the Deputy be suspended.

He did not.

The Fine Gael Deputies were asleep.

The Deputy said he would leave the House before the Minister named him.

He was named by the Minister.

The Deputy withdrew the remark.

The Chair should make a ruling.

The Chair did make a ruling. The Deputy is suspended.

I asked the Deputy to withdraw the remark or leave the House and he chose to do neither.

The Chair told him to withdraw the remark or leave the House.

The question was never put to the House. There was no need to order the Deputy from the House because he said he would leave and he did so. Obviously the Chair did not hear him saying that but the record will show it.

On a point of order, Deputy Harte was named.

In the circumstances we will ignore it. I did not hear Deputy Harte.

On a point of order, the Chair asked the Minister for Justice to name the Deputy, which he did. At that time Deputy Harte was sitting——

——in his place and it was only subsequently that he got up to leave the House. At no time did he state, and the record will prove it, that he was leaving.

I am making the decision that there seems to have been a misunderstanding about the matter and we will ignore it. I am calling Deputy Farrelly.