asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the areas for which he has official responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The Taoiseach has the responsibilities conferred on him by the Constitution, by statutes passed by the Oireachtas and those arising from the disbursement of funds voted by the Oireachtas.

Does the Taoiseach accept that he has responsibility to the Dáil to reply to parliamentary questions properly tabled to him?

I need your guidance in that matter a Cheann Comhairle. It is the practice here for the Taoiseach and Ministers to reply as adequately, as fully and as courteously as possible to all questions addressed to them. I and all the Ministers of this Government endeavour to fulfil that obligation to the best of our ability.

Why then is the Taoiseach pursuing a policy of transferring such parliamentary questions properly tabled to him to other Ministers.

This matter of the transfer of questions is not in order now.

I have already explained to the Deputy that the practice which I am following in this regard is the time honoured practice which has been pursued by Taoisigh as long as I remember in this House.

The inference to be drawn from the Taoiseach's reply is that he is in fact pursuing such a policy. May I raise then with the Taoiseach whether he accepts that it is properly in accordance with democratic principles to have a Taoiseach in this House continually transferring questions from his own Department to other Departments and not answering in this House questions in relation to areas for which he is responsible or in relation to areas where he had been personally involved or expressed opinions himself.

The Deputy knows full well that the practice in this House, and the practice of Governments over the years, has been that Ministers take questions which are directly related to their areas of responsibility. That practice has not been changed by this Government. The practice being followed by this Government is exactly in accordance with precedent and practice as long as I am in this House.

I would like to ask for a further direction from the Taoiseach. I have found, since this session started, that practically every single question I tabled to the Taoiseach has been transferred to other Departments even on occasions when the Taoiseach has made a speech, for example, on the Extradition (Amendment) Bill. I have sought further information——

We cannot use this particular question for raising the whole matter of transference of questions from the Taoiseach to another Minister or vice versa.

The practice, a Cheann Comhairle, is that only Gaeltacht questions are being taken by the office of the Taoiseach.

Hear, hear.

The practice in this House was well established for many years long before the Deputy did us the honour of entering this House. Questions which are directly related to the responsibility of particular Ministers are transferred to those Ministers. Otherwise the Taoiseach of the day would be answering every single question and that is not the practice in this House. Again, I repeat that what I do and the practice I follow is exactly in accordance with precedent and with what was done by every other Taoiseach whom I have known in this House.

A Cheann Comhairle——

I want to disabuse Members of the notion that they may discuss this matter now. A final supplementary from Deputy O'Keeffe.

Arising out of that and drawing on my ten years' experience here may I say that I have never seen such a shrinking violet of a Taoiseach as we have at present in relation to Dáil questions? I should like to suggest to the Taoiseach that quoting precedent and relying on tradition does not, in fact, cover the exact——

The Deputy is making a statement rather than asking a question. Has the Deputy a question?

I totally reject that suggestion. I repeat that what I am doing in the discharge of my duties and responsibilities as Taoiseach is exactly in accordance with what other Taoisigh have done before me.