I desire to ask whether the President can give any indication of the business to be taken to-day and for the remainder of the week.
ORDER OF BUSINESS.
I propose to take to-day items Nos. 2, 3 and 4 on the Order Paper. We do not propose to take item No. 1 (Electricity Supply (Special Powers) Bill, 1925 — Committee). That will be set down for the first day of meeting next week. I propose to move the adjournment, this evening, until to-morrow week. We had intended to discuss the Education Estimate, but the Minister for Education is engaged in connection with the Boundary Commission, and his services will not be available until next week.
Is not this a matter that concerns the privileges of the House? The House has been called together to meet to-day, presumably, for the business of the State. Now the President proposes that we shall adjourn for another week and a day, because the Minister for Education is engaged on extra State business, outside the jurisdiction of this Assembly. I would have thought that his first duty was to the Dáil, and that it is not in accordance with the requirements of the Dáil and the Oireachtas that we should be called together for one day, and then adjourn simply because the Minister for Education is not able to be present, being engaged on other business. There are other questions of the utmost importance to the country that will have to be discussed, and I hope that the President will revise his decision to adjourn for a week, and that we shall not adjourn beyond to-morrow before discussing the state of the country, industrially and economically, and other matters of importance present in the minds of Deputies.
If any discussion were to arise that would have to be carried over, it would mean moving the adjournment until to-morrow. But in the ordinary way of setting out business we are not in a position to go on until the Minister for Education returns. I think if the circumstances were different it might be a just cause of complaint if the Minister were absent from this meeting; but I do not think, in the circumstances, it is a just cause of complaint. The work on which he is engaged is national work of the first importance, concerned with the carrying out and the implementing of the Treaty, and I really do not think in that case it is a cause upon which the House is entitled to make complaint.
This is not the first case. If it were a single case one might pass it over, but it has been a repeated cause of complaint in this House that the Minister for Education is not here to attend in the Dáil in regard to his Department. The same excuse is made time and time again and yet we are not given any satisfaction. The Education Estimates were before the Dáil during the last session, and it was decided clearly that they would be taken immediately on resumption this session, and that the Minister would be present. We have no authority whatever for assuming that he will be here next week. If the Boundary Commission decided to meet next week, we should have to take second place, and that is not in accordance with the requirements of the State or the Dáil or the Oireachtas.
Not if it arose out of the ordinary business of the House or of the Government, but in the circumstances, being one of the matters concerned with the implementation of the Treaty, it is on a different footing. The Boundary Commission has sat for twelve months and the work is nearing completion.
Do we know that officially?
No. I am making a statement; the work is nearing completion — it must necessarily be nearing completion — and I was just saying that the House should extend some consideration to the Minister, having regard to the fact that he is engaged in the discharge of a very onerous duty. I think it would be unreasonable to demand that he should be here in such circumstances. I am making a statement that he will be present to-morrow week and we will then take the Education Estimates.
I think the House has extended, already, very great consideration to the Minister. He has been absent for a long time, as Deputy Johnson has stated, engaged, no doubt, on very important work, but, at the same time, work of great national importance is neglected or postponed because of his absence. Are we to understand that because one Minister is absent on this occasion — he was also absent during a great part of last year — the Dáil must cease its work, and that after calling Deputies up here from the country, they are to be sent home again after a few hours?
Is the President in a position to furnish the House with a list of measures to be introduced during the present year? On a previous occasion we looked for this information and I thought that it would be the President's duty to give such information to the House. In other Parliaments, where proper procedure is followed, the Whips of the different parties are taken into confidence as to the measures to be introduced in each session. We come here but we knew nothing until this morning as to what the House was to meet for. Deputies came up from the country and the State will have to pay the cost of their first-class travelling expenses, and I think we should not be called together for one day without getting the information we require.
The Whips have not made any application to me. If they had done so I would have been able to give them a considerable amount of information. In the absence of the Minister for Industry and Commerce, I would have been able to give them most of the information concerning the other Ministries. If the Deputy wishes I shall have the information on Wednesday next.
I think the Dáil is always entitled to know in advance, regardless of Party, what measures are likely to be introduced during the Session, and I hope the Government will take steps to see that that is done in future.
Does the President propose to allocate a day for the discussion of the attitude of the Department of Industry and Commerce respecting the rate of wages paid on the Shannon scheme?
I am prepared to take that this evening, at any time. I said, and I have been informed, that it could be more satisfactorily dealt with if the Minister for Industry and Commerce was present, but I am prepared to take it this evening, if the Deputy wishes.
Is the President in a position to deal with the question fully and authoritatively in the absence of the Minister?
I have stated that I am prepared to deal with it if the Deputy wishes.
Will the President answer directly, if he is in a position to deal with it authoritatively, and if he has sufficient information in the absence of the Minister?
That is a matter on which my own judgment must be permitted to guide me. As I said, I am prepared to deal with the matter if the Deputy wishes to raise it. At the same time, I have been told that it would be more satisfactory if the Minister was here, and I am willing to leave it over, if the Deputy desires, until the Minister is present. He will be present to-morrow week.
I take it that this is a case where the Ministry as a whole is responsible.
Certainly.
If the President says it will be more satisfactory to deal with it now, we will give him an opportunity.
The position is that the President is moving that, on rising to-day, the Dáil would adjourn until next Wednesday, and leave over the motion until we complete the other business.
Yes.
With regard to the question of a debate which Deputy Johnson raised, when will that take place?
When we are finished with item No. 4 on the Orders of the Day.
Order No. 1 discharged, to be taken on Wednesday, November 11th.