I endeavoured to raise here by way of Private Notice Question the failure of the Government to support the bus building company at Shannon where 450 people recently lost employment as a result of the closure of that company. I put a question to the Minister for Communications to endeavour to get some indication from the Minister as to what proposals he had——

The Deputy sought to put the matter on private notice. I communicated through my secretary with the Deputy and explained to him that the question could not be accepted because it does not come within Standing Orders. This has been going on for months. A notice was served in December, the men were dispensed with on 24 January, and how that can be brought within the Standing Orders of urgency I do not know. I am not allowing an argument on it. I am sorry.

The company have been expecting to get from the Government an indication of what orders they would get for the coming year——

There is another way for the Deputy to raise that.

——from CIE for buses for the transport system and school buses for the Department of Education.

I am sorry, Deputy——

The position, obviously, is that——

Deputy Daly is out of order.

There has been some hope that the Minister might take some action to deal with the situation.

The Deputy put down a Private Notice Question about a fortnight ago and he knows that.

The matter did not arise until now.

They were dismissed. The men were laid off on 24 January 1986.

There was something unusual about the situation, because the men have still to finish work.

I call Deputy Gene Fitzgerald on the budget.

This situation has developed because of the failure of the Government to confirm whether they are going to get a further order or not.

I shall have to quote Standing Orders and I do not want to do that. I cannot allow the Deputy to ignore the Chair and I do not propose to do so. It is as simple as that.

It is not my intention to do that.

Then the Deputy will resume his seat.

It is disgraceful that the Minister is not prepared to come here and answer the question.

I have given you considerable latitude. I am now asking Deputy Daly to leave the House.

The Chair has been most unfair to the Deputy.

The Deputy should withdraw that statement.

Withdraw what?

Deputy Daly withdrew from the Chamber.

The Deputy has made a statement that the Chair's ruling is unfair.

Yes.

The Deputy should withdraw that. There must be respect for the Chair.

That is the second time that you asked a Deputy to leave the House for little or nothing.

If Deputies continue to ignore the Chair democracy as we understand it will not work. If that is the way the Deputies want it. I will not say that it is all right, but that would be the end of it. If they disagree seriously with the ruling of the Chair there are provisions within Standing Orders to bring me before the House. I shall not have any objection to that. It is not in the interests of the Chair, or of the House, or of the system of Government that the Chair should be completely and utterly ignored day after day in this House.