I move:

That the Order of the Dáil of 16 June 1987, in relation to Priority Questions and Private Members' Time is hereby amended by the substitution of "until the adjournment of the Dáil for the Summer Recess, 1988" for "until the adjournment of the Dáil for the Christmas Recess".

This motion has been in operation since the summer recess but it has worked very unsatisfactorily for a number of reasons, not least of which is the limited amount of time which the parties have at their disposal. I would like to seek your clarification, a Cheann Comhairle, on a matter. There were two weeks in this session when Private Members' time was given up. On one occasion, this week, it was given up by the Fine Gael Party and on the other occasion the Government took an important matter in Private Members' time

I am very anxious to facilitate the Deputy by way of a question.

I would like to ask——

The Deputy will appreciate that it was decided earlier by an order of this House to take these matters without debate. I will facilitate the Deputy by allowing her to put a question if she has a pertinent question to put.

If a party give up their right to have Private Members' time, as the Fine Gael Party did this week, does the next occasion on which Private Members' time is available go automatically to the next party on the list?

It should.

By way of a question——

Perhaps, we could get an answer to the first question.

That matter will be looked into. I cannot give an affirmative answer on it now.

May I ask a question?

We decided earlier that this matter would be taken without debate.

A Cheann Comhairle, it is important to get this matter corrected. All of these matters are agreed at meetings between the Whips and at meetings of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. The Fine Gael Party did not give up their Private Members' time. A request was made and it was agreed to.

This matter never came up at the Whips' meeting.

I have allowed Deputy Harney to raise a question and I will communicate with her in respect of that matter.

Can the Government Whip tell us whether there is any prospect in the recess that the arrangements in respect of Priority Question would be revised and that at least Priority Questions would be taken at the beginning of Question Time rather than at the end and that the procedure relating to those questions——

This is leading towards debate.

There should be a debate on it, Sir, these are matters of difficulty.

This matter was discussed at a meeting of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges last Thursday. In fact, there was no debate or discussion whatever on it. There was agreement among all parties and I am surprised therefore that the issue has become a little contentious this morning. The present arrangement will now continue until the summer recess and it will be up to the CPP to decide in their own way if there should be any change in the arrangement.

It is a matter for this House to decide.

On a point of order, I understood that the meetings of the CPP were confidential but since the Chief Whip of the Government has now seen fit to tell us what happened at a meeting of that committee I am sure he will confirm that already there is an investigation into the whole question——

This is leading to argument. I am calling item No. 18 which is a motion on the Appropriation Accounts for 1986. I call on the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Brady, to move the motion.

Have we finished with item No. 10?

We have.

You did not put the question.

I thought I had put the question. Let us be sure about these matters, I will put the question now. Is item No. 10 agreed?

No.

I am now formally putting the question.