moved the amendment to delete Article 16 and to substitute the following Article:—"No person may be elected to or sit in the Parliament or Oireachtas who is of unsound mind, and has been so declared according to law, or who is an undischarged bankrupt or who holds any office of profit under the Free State/Saorstat Eireann, or who is a member of the armed forces of the Free State/Saorstat Eireann and wholly employed therein, but Ministers of State and persons in receipt of pensions from the State and such subordinate civil officers in the service of the State as may be defined by legislation shall not be excluded from the Parliament or Oireachtas by reason of their office. If a member of the Parliament or Oireachtas shall become subject to any of the foregoing disabilities, or shall cease to be qualified as required by the Constitution, his seat shall thereupon become vacant."
DAIL IN COMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION BILL. - ARTICLE 16.
Mr. O'HIGGINS
It is simply a question as to whether there is anything in this so fundamental as to deserve insertion in the Constitution.
Are we going into this now? I thought that the President agreed to postpone it until the whole Article arises again. I have certain references to other Constitutions that I would like to mention.
Defer it then. We will not take advantage of you.
I would like that any other amendments to any of the other clauses in the Constitution should be sent in to us as soon as possible.
May the Dáil know what day the Constitution will be taken again?
If we have time it will be taken to-morrow. If we wind up the ordinary business we will continue until we finish.