Verona Murphy

Deputies, I am standing. I expect that you will respect the Chair. We are in a democratic House. This is Leaders' Questions.

Deputies, whether you like what is being said or not, please listen. That is the process.

We have a lot of visitors in the Gallery. The public are watching. I am asking you all to have respect for one another, one and all. That is all I am asking for on behalf of those who are watching.

Deputies, while you may not have respect for me, I am the Chair. When I speak, nobody else speaks.

Deputies, I am asking that you respect the process and the operation of the House.

That means that when I speak, I ask you to have respect for the Chair. That decision has been made and it is well gone. We are in the democratic process of where we are on a different matter today. I ask Deputy McDonald to respond.

Deputies, resume your seats when the Ceann Comhairle is standing. We have spent hours. I have invested as much as 20 hours over the past months trying to come to a consensus and an agreement.

Unfortunately, we have reached an impasse.

I expect respect, Deputy, so that I can finish what I am saying.

Excuse me, Deputy, I am speaking. We have reached an impasse and when we reach an impasse, we then move to the mechanism that moves all those democratically elected from the impasse, which is the voting mechanism. We are now-----

The Deputy should resume his seat.

The Deputy should resume his seat.

Deputy Doherty should resume his seat. He knows the rulings of the House.

Is it the case that Deputy Doherty does not have respect for me or the Chair? Now it is becoming apparent that-----

I ask Deputy Doherty to respect the Chair. It is not me; I am not concerned. However, I am the Ceann Comhairle and I am sitting in the Chair and I expect a level of respect to come from each and every Member-----

-----when I speak. The level of disruption to which we can go today is well documented. We are either going to continue with Leaders' Questions or we can move on. Deputies may not like the answers they are getting but I cannot give instructions on answers.

My function is to chair this Dáil and ensure that the House operates.

We are moving on with the business. I now move to Deputy Bacik.

I thank the Deputy.

Deputies.

Deputies.

Deputies.

I call Deputy Bacik. Does the Taoiseach wish to continue?

It is not your time yet, Deputy Bacik. The Taoiseach still has a minute left.

Deputies, all you are doing is running down the clock.