It is proposed to take No. 9.

It is also proposed that in relation to No. 9 the proceedings on the Committee Stage and the Report and Final Stages shall be brought to a conclusion, if not previously concluded, at 1.30 p.m. and 7.00 p.m. respectively by one question in each case which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only amendments set down by the Minister for Social Welfare.

It is further proposed that the Dáil shall adjourn not later than 7 p.m. today until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 12th April 1989.

May I now ask if the proposals for dealing with Item No. 9 are agreed to? Agreed.

Is the proposal for the Adjournment of An Dáil agreed to? Agreed.

On the question of the date to which the Dáil is adjourned, it seems to me that four weeks from today is unnecessarily long. Would a three-week adjournment not be more appropriate?

The Deputy is not doing much.

The Deputy will not be Minister.

I ask that the proposal be agreed. Agreed.

I wish to seek permission to raise on the Adjournment a matter which I sought yesterday to raise in relation to the Belfast-Dublin rail line. Could I also raise with you, a Cheann Comhairle, a matter which has appeared in the Irish Press this morning, where there is a threat from Mr. Larry Goodman to leave no stone unturned in the bid to——

Please, Deputy De Rossa, this matter is not in order now.

——to penalise Deputies Barry Desmond and Tomás Mac Giolla——

Please, Deputy, this matter is not in order now.

I am merely seeking your advice on this.

My advice is that the Deputy should find another way of raising that matter.

According to the precedents of this House, the Ceann Comhairle stated in Column 1582, volume 102 of 1946, that Members must be free to express their views in this House within the rules of order without threat——

I am well aware of the Chair's functions in this House.

——physical or otherwise.

The Chair needs no reminding from the Deputy as to his duties.

I am asking for your advice as to how this House proposes to deal with the threat to Deputies in this House.

I will communicate with the Deputy concerning the matter that he has raised.

I should like to make a suggestion as to how the House should deal with these matters. I think that we have a very large number of sad examples of small, probably inefficient, under-capitalised industries, particularly in the agri-food sector, going broke, throwing people out of employment. How I would like to see the House dealing with this matter is to show a sense of responsibility about these things.

Hear, hear.

That is not a point of order.

Please, Deputy.

I would like to raise a point of order, a Cheann Comhairle.

We are entitled to raise it if there has been a threat of that kind.

I should like to raise the point of order. Perhaps the Taoiseach or one of his Ministers might actually come into the House and put all the information available on the record of this House.

That is not a point of order, Deputy.

On a point of order, I have made allegations in this House. The Taoiseach has now replied. I will repeat the allegations and I challenge the Taoiseach and the Minister to deny that £1.084 million——

That is not a point of order, Deputy Desmond.

——was the amount of the fine imposed on a company on 16 January 1989. The company is Anglo-Irish Meat Processors (International) Limited.

Let us proceed to the business of the House proper.

You know what has happened, Taoiseach.

This matter is not in order now. Deputy Desmond, I must insist that you resume your seat.

Lest that particular allegation go by default, I should like to explain to the House that the Minister for Agriculture and Food will today be issuing a statement covering the matter. In the meantime, I, in turn, accuse Deputy Desmond, with a full sense of responsibility, of trying to sabotage the entire beef industry in this country.

Nonsense.

Hear, hear.

On a point of order——

Sit down.

That allegation should be withdrawn.

I will not allow this kind of disorder in the House.

On a point of order.

Let us hear it.

On a point of order, Taoiseach — I am entitled to make it.

If this House does not settle down to order, I will adjourn the proceedings. Deputy Desmond, I will allow you to make a point of order, but I must say that I trust it is not a spurious point of order to continue disorder in this House.

I ask the Taoiseach to withdraw the allegations against me——

Does he deny the fact that the documentation and letters have been referred to the Garda authorities by the Department of Agriculture and Food?

I will hear no more of this matter as I have ruled it out of order.

How would Deputy Desmond know about letters sent to the Garda?

I repeat my statement that Deputy Desmond, for his own base political purposes, is trying to destroy one of our most important industries.

Order, please.

This is grossly disorderly and I will hear no more of this matter now. Deputy De Rossa should resume his seat until order is restored.

Why was there not an investigation in 1988?

Say it outside the House.

Deputy De Rossa rose.

I hope this is not on the same subject, Deputy.

Whatever may have been going on between Deputy Desmond and the Taoiseach is their business. I rose in the first place to raise the question of a threat by a person outside this House to penalise Members of this House for doing their business. Is it not your responsibility, a Cheann Comhairle, to protect Deputies from intimidation of that kind and to take steps to ensure that the threats made against Deputies by a person outside the House are withdrawn?

The Deputy also has a way of dealing with this matter.

Is it the Ceann Comhairle's responsibility to do so?

On precedent it is.

The Deputy has redress in his own fashion.

I know the Ceann Comhairle shares our concern in this matter. When you have had time to examine it, perhaps you might consider writing to the person in question or, alternatively, informing the Committee on Procedure and Privileges as to what appropriate course of action you deem should be taken by the House in relation to this matter.

If Deputies feel there has been a breach of privilege they ought to refer it to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges.

You are the chairman of that committee.

The Deputy does not have to remind me of that fact.

I wish to raise on the Adjournment the failure of the Minister for Industry and Commerce to complete and publish the results of an inquiry — for the purpose of the Mergers and Monopolies Act — into the beneficial ownership of a company called Classic Meats, formerly Mastermeats Limited, in view of widespread public concern about the true identity of its beneficial ownership and the identity of its management.

I will communicate with the Deputy.

I want to ask the Taoiseach or the Minister for Industry and Commerce if it is intended to bring before the House whatever package is being arranged for the sale of PMPA in view of the fact that the rescue package for PMPA had to be brought before this House for——

This does not arise on the Order of Business.

This matter concerns every Member of this House.

That may be so.

May I raise it on the Adjournment?

I will communicate with the Deputy.

I wish to raise on the Adjournment the continual bombing by the IRA of the Belfast-Dublin railway line and the threat to permanently close it.

I will be in touch with the Deputy concerning that matter.

Because of the Standing Orders in relation to the Committee of Public Accounts it is necessary to lay every report before the House. There is a report on the Order Paper for 1985-86. If it is not intended to move the one-sentence motion laying it before the House, will the House agree to take it immediately on resumption after the recess? It is purely a formality. Will the House agree to take it now?

It would be better to wait.

I should like it to be taken as soon as possible as it is for the years 1985-86.

There is agreement on the matter.

I wish to raise on the Adjournment the inadequacy of the funds provided for refurbishment to Dublin Corporation to meet their immediate programme and the one they anticipate for next year.

I will communicate with the Deputy.

For the fifth time I wish to raise on the Adjournment the continued downgrading of Cavan General Hospital and the failure of the Minister for Health and the Government to open it. This is causing great hardship and anxiety to the people in the area——

I will communicate with the Deputy.

I wish to raise on the Adjournment the need for the Minister for Finance or the Minister for Tourism and Transport to readjust the membership of the board of Horan International Airport to enable a 100-job industry to locate there.

I will communicate with the Deputy.

I wish to raise on the Adjournment the question of the coastal road at Maharees, County Kerry.

I will communicate with the Deputy.

I wish to raise — as I have previously — the continued breaches of the gaming laws by the gaming industry in the city of Dublin as exposed in the Evening Herald investigation.

I will communicate with the Deputy.