Vol. 12 No. 19
I move:—
"That the provisions of Standing Orders 79, 86 and 88 as to the giving of notice for the taking of the Second, Fourth and Fifth Stages of a Bill be suspended to permit of the Second, Fourth and Fifth Stages of the Appropriation Bill, 1925, being taken to-day."
Is there any objection to that course?
I object.
May I point out that the motion on the Order is not correctly worded? It runs from the Second to the Fourth Stage. I think there should be another word introduced.
Will the Deputy say what is the defect in the motion?
It says the Second, Fourth and Fifth Stages. What about the Third Stage?
Have you not had 90 hours' discussion on it?
The suspension of Standing Orders is only necessary for the Fourth and Fifth Stages. It is not necessary to suspend Standing Orders for the Committee Stage, which could be taken immediately. To what extent does Deputy Johnson object?
My first objection is that the only notice that was given of this suspension was given before the Bill had received First Reading, and that the notice required according to Standing Orders was not given. I would suggest to the President that he should postpone this motion until the next item on the Order Paper has been disposed of.
I would agree to that.
The Appropriation Bill is in a category by itself. It is founded on the Estimates passed in Committee and discussed at a certain length. It is really a formal Bill of which Deputies have full knowledge beforehand. The discussion on the Appropriation Bill takes place, not so much on the Appropriation Bill as in Committee on Finance in discussing the Estimates. The practice in another place is that the Second Stage of the Appropriation Bill is used as an opportunity for raising any general question of which notice has been given to the Government. I was only anxious to find out from Deputy Johnson whether he objected to all the Stages being taken to-day, or only to some of them. The proposal now is to go to items 10 and 11 on the Order Paper.
I would agree to take the Second Stage, and to leave the Fourth and Fifth Stages until we have disposed of item 10. I presume Deputy Johnson will not persist in his objection?
I would not object to that.
Then we will take the Second Stage now.
Let me understand the position. There will be a new motion, I take it, to deal with the Fourth and Fifth Stages?
Yes, by leave of An Ceann Comhairle.
The motion is to suspend the Standing Orders to take the Second Stage. Then we can also take the Committee Stage, and later on we can come to the Fourth and Fifth Stages.
Agreed.
