I am calling Senator Fallon, Leader of the House, to reply to the Order of Business.
Order of Business (Resumed).
I was seeking to make a statement when I was interrupted by people wanting to be thrown out of the House. I would like to know can I now make a statement.
That is disgraceful.
(Interruptions.)
Order, please.
That is a disgraceful allegation.
I ask the Leader of the House to have a debate on the outrageous charges that have been imposed on small business people by Allied Irish Banks. I have been a customer of Allied Irish Banks for a number of years. I was a member of the staff of the Provincial Bank. I have been working with the Provincial Bank and I have been a customer of the Allied Irish Bank for the last 30 years. What the Allied Irish Banks are doing to small business people is disgraceful. Big businesses who deal with the Allied Irish Bank can get away with murder. We should not allow them to impose these charges on small business people because the big business people——
The Senator has to put his question.
I am asking the Leader of the House to have a debate on this imposition of charges on small businesses because it is not on big businesses——
I cannot allow a speech now.
I am not making a speech.
No, but the Senator has made the point and has asked a question.
I am asking the Leader to have a debate on the outrageous charges that Allied Irish Banks are imposing on small businesses.
I am sure the Leader will reply. Senator Harte.
I want to raise an objection to two of my colleagues being put out of the House. I am doing that on the basis that I do not agree with your ruling.
It is no longer my ruling, it is the ruling of the House.
In the first instance it was your ruling.
In the first instance I made a decision in relation to the motion.
Under Standing Order 42 nothing was decided on that motion——
The Senator is one of the senior Senators of this House and I want to say that——
It is irrelevant whether I am senior or junior. The fact is——
I regret very much that you are protesting in this way.
According to Standing Order 42 a Senator shall not re-open a discussion on a question already decided within the preceding six months. Nothing was decided on that question.
The matter has been decided.
Nothing was decided on that motion.
The matter has been decided, Senator Harte, and I want to put on the record for the last time that your party members were invited to my office, they were invited to the office of the Clerk of the Seanad, they were invited to meet the Leader of the House. Every effort was made over the last three days to find a solution to this problem and every offer was rejected. That is something that I cannot understand. The Senator is now out of order.
The fact is that two people have been put out of this Chamber this morning on the basis of a Standing Order that does not have any substance.
I must ask the Senator to resume his seat.
I am not going to resume my seat.
I must ask the Senator to leave the House.
(Interruptions.)
I ask the Leader of the House to name Senator Harte.
There was no decision taken on that motion and, therefore, you were out of order.
(Interruptions.)
I want to allow the Leader of the House to be heard.
There is no reason it could not be discussed.