Order of Business dispute
A procedural row broke out over the abortion Bill and allegations of filibustering, with Deputies defending their right to table amendments and the Taoiseach rejecting the claim that the House was being deliberately blocked. The exchanges escalated into repeated accusations and rulings from the Chair before order was restored.
I was not going to raise this but I have to refute that allegation that we are delaying anything. We are doing our democratic job here. We had no pre-legislative scrutiny of this legislation. I appeal to the Taoiseach to withdraw his disgusting remarks from yesterday when he said that we were filibustering this Bill. We are not. Check the record. Some members of Deputy Boyd Barrett's own party are using their seven minutes and their two minutes. We are not and we are entitled to put down amendments.
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I have not said a word about abortion for two days.
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If mistakes are made in the Bills Office, we regret that.
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Please withdraw those remarks from yesterday. I will now ask the Taoiseach what I wanted to ask him about road safety. A young man in Tipperary, an entrepreneur called Jason Maher, has developed a tyre app for road safety. He is up and down with the Road Safety Authority, RSA. The tyres are the most important part of the vehicle in regard to its connection with the road. Will the Taoiseach please ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, to engage with him? We have advertisements every day of the week asking people to slow down and the Minister has a battle against rural drivers as well. We, however, are accused of being anti-democratic in that as well, even though we are representing our people. Ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, and the Road Safety Authority to engage with a positive project that will save lives.
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It is the Taoiseach's Dublin 4 accent.
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There is no need to be smart.
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I was not quite sure what use a tie rack would be to the Road Safety Authority. If this person has an innovative piece of technology that can help us with tyres, and bald tyres can be a cause for collisions and for injuries-----
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-----if there is something that can be done to help, I am sure we can arrange to put him in contact with the RSA. If Deputy Mattie McGrath passes on the details, I will make sure that happens.
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Will the Taoiseach withdraw those remarks?
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Please, Deputies. The House is being brought into disrepute. I ask the Deputies to resume their seats, please. This is not Ballymagash.
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So the Taoiseach can tell lies and put them on the record of the Dáil?
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That is wrong. It is a disgrace.
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Deputies cannot call other Deputies liars.