I bow to your ruling but I must say strongly that I disagree profoundly with your ruling on this matter. May I raise another matter? I asked a question today of the Minister for Tourism and Transport about a statement made by the Taoiseach on 5 February and your reply says that it cannot be answered because similar questions were answered on 29 October and 11 November. I cannot understand how the questions relating to a statement made by the Taoiseach on 5 February could have been answered in October or November.

I must ask the Deputy to desist from challenging my rulings in this fashion.

I regret to have to say that I find some of your rulings extraordinary and illogical.

They are in strict conformity with the rules, regulations and precedents of the House and there has been no deviation from that. I resent the implication of the Deputy's remarks. I would prefer the Deputy to pursue this matter in the normal way rather than that a slight should hang over the Chair in respect of his rulings on such matters.

I would not wish in any way to cast a slight over the Chair but I fail to see how a question relating to something that was said on 5 February could have been answered in October or November.

I have conveyed my rulings on this matter to the Deputy. They are in accordance with the precedents of the House and I should like to repeat that there has not been any deviation whatever from those precedents.

The ruling is extraordinary and you know it; it was quite ridiculous.

Does the House wish to proceed with the Order of Business? Agreed.