Again, I raise the issue of the very serious motion before this House last week, which Senator Cullinane rightly raised. It was thrown in at the last minute to be taken without debate. I would like the Leader to clarify - I suppose he has already given an answer - whether the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, was in touch with him. In light of the precedent set in the Dáil - this is no reflection on the Cathaoirleach and I am not casting aspersions on him - I would like to know if he was in receipt of correspondence or communications from the former Minister, Deputy Shatter. We have to know why the motion for this commission of investigation was, unusually, to be taken without debate. The motion on the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes was taken with debate the day before.

That was last week.

It was last week but-----

We cannot re-open last week's business.

It is extremely important. It is on the tip of everyone's tongue today in the country. I believe the Cathaoirleach would agree that the idea that we cannot discuss it on the Order of Business is not a runner. We need to know if the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, was in touch with the Seanad office on this issue and, if so, what was the reply. I assume that if the Cathaoirleach received a letter, he dealt with it in the same way as the Ceann Comhairle - he had no role in it - but we need to know the pressures that he was put under, if any. We also need to know the pressures the Leader was put under not only by the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, but also-----

Senator, please.

-----did the Government in this case specifically request that no debate would take place?

The Chair has no role in it because the matter did not come before it.

I know the Chair has no role in it; I said that.

The Chair did not make any ruling on it because the matter did not come before the Chair.

That is not the question I have asked the Cathaoirleach. The question I asked him was if he was in receipt of correspondence from the former Minister, Deputy Shatter. That is casting no aspiration on the Cathaoirleach. It is asking if there was an attempt to put him under pressure-----

It is not relevant to today's business. The Senator is re-opening last week's business.

-----as was attempted in the Dáil. Did the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, write to or contact the Cathaoirleach about this, and-or did the Government or the Department of Justice and Equality ask him specifically to do this without debate? The motion, which came under the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the previous day was taken with debate. Why was this very similar motion on a very serious issue taken without debate?

Senator, that was relevant to last week's business.

It is extremely relevant to democracy and debate in this country. A change was introduced in this House, facilitated by the Leader, to the effect that there would be no more, or very few, guillotines on debates. Unfortunately, one was applied to the debate on water services legislation prior to Christmas but there are far fewer now than there were in the past. This is a House of Parliament and one of debate. There was a serious and wrong attempt to shut down that debate in Dáil and I want to know what pressures were put on this House to do that.