I move:
That the Ceann Comhairle direct the Clerk of the Dáil to issue his Writ for the election of a member to fill the vacancy which has occurred in the membership of the present Dáil consequent on the death of Deputy Kieran Doherty, a member for the Constituency of Cavan-Monaghan.
When Deputy Moore moved this previously, various arguments were advanced as to why it should not be passed by the House. The Taoiseach said we had a very heavy legislative programme to get through. He said that the only consideration which could apply must be the question of the legislative programme. The Taoiseach also said that the changeover to tax credits instead of tax allowances in the income tax code was fundamental and that the implementation of that measure and of the associated payment of £9.60 to non-working housewives, he was advised by the Revenue Commissioners, could only be undertaken if legislation went through last session. He said that if it were left to be put through after the budget it would not be implemented by the date set and announced at the first press conference after the election — the beginning of the income tax year next April.
That was the reason given on the last occasion when I made an attempt to have the writ accepted by the House. That whole tax package is now a matter of some mirth among not merely the Opposition Members but among members of the Coalition Government and cannot possibly be used as an argument now for refusing to face the electorate in Cavan-Monaghan. The Tánaiste has asked that the whole package should be looked at again. The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Desmond has also spoken about it. Consequently, I do not think it is of any great importance any more. The people who were supposed to have benefited most regard the whole matter with disdain, and the House should not be delayed by it. On the last occasion I indicated that the position of the constituency was of some importance, that it was a pivotal constituency, that three of the Six Counties bordered it and that it was a large constituency, I also indicated that the people in that constituency are very interested in the democratic process and that we had the highest valid poll there — 60,411 voters. I also indicated that, apart from the constituency in which the Ceann Comhairle stood and was automatically re-elected, we had in that constituency the highest quota, 10,069.
These are the people who are being deprived of the opportunity of expressing themselves through the ballot box. They are very anxious to exercise their right to elect a Deputy to the vacancy that has occurred. The Government should have gone before the people so that they could be judged by their first budget. We did not succeed in doing that, but if the House accepts the motion now, we will have an opportunity of finding out what the people in Cavan-Monaghan think of the last budget and the one which will be announced tomorrow. People are anxious to give their views on the handling of the economy by the Coalition Government. It would be a good thing if we had an end to what has been going on, where there are admissions of people making a mistake in their sums of £170 million and the Coalition Government treating the electorate as Pavlov treated his dogs. The Taoiseach says one day he has found £170 million and the Minister for Finance comes back the following day telling us not to get into good humour, that euphoria is out and gloom is still around.
The constituency is also anxious to have members of the Government operating there so that they can give an account of their stewardship with regard to the state of industry there. We can say, with great pleasure, that from 1977 to 1981 industry improved to the extent that there were 1,100 more people employed in the manufacturing industry in 1981 than there were in 1977.
There are problems. The Minister for Forestry and Fisheries will know about them. The general secretary of the trade union concerned has been in touch with him as he has been with me. We want to know what the Government will do about them. We have a motion on the Order Paper at the moment indicating the concern of this party about what appears to be the economic withdrawal of this Government from the west of Ireland. That is something we should also like to discuss and debate with the electorate of Cavan-Monaghan as the jury.
At Question Time the Minister for Industry and Energy indicated that he does not know that there is a special definition of the west so far as economic and industrial development are concerned. I should like him to bone up on his own brief before he comes down to aid Fine Gael in that by-election. I understand the Labour Party do not intend to put forward a candidate for it.
As reported at volume 330, column 234 of the Official Report of 21 October Deputy Kemmy said:
As far as I am concerned the matter we are discussing can be left until the New Year.
The new year is here and I want Deputy Kemmy to back his judgment of October with his vote in January.
On occasion it is worthwhile to have a look at the procedures in other parliaments. This is a common enough practice. Judges refer to precedents in other countries, and so on. One does not have to be an Englishman to know that the English are proud of what they call the mother of parliaments. Not everybody would agree with that assessment of it and its activities, particularly with regard to subject countries. It is worth looking at how they proceeded with regard to the vacancies in the constituency which is next door to my constituency, Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
Mr. Frank Maguire died on 5 March 1981 and the writ was moved on 20 March 1981. The by-election took place on 9 April 1981.