It is not proposed to take the Committee Stage of this Bill to-day, but it will be taken after the Recess. I feel, in that connection, that it will probably be a relief to Deputies to know that certain amendments which I propose to produce when the Committee Stage is taken up have been shown to the Chief Justice and certain other judges and are considered as substantially meeting such objections and anxieties as they felt with regard to the Bill and the effects of it. The amendments, of course, will come up for the consideration of Deputies in due course. It is not necessary to anticipate the Committee Stage by going closely into the nature of them at the moment beyond saying that they preserve unimpaired the principle of responsibility through the Dáil to the electorate in respect of the staffs of the courts. At the same time I feel it would be the wish of the Dáil generally, regardless of party divisions, that a genuine attempt should be made to meet the point of view of the judges with regard to the Bill, and to meet such anxieties as they feel even in matters in which I might not hold the view that that anxiety was well grounded. A letter from the judges was received by me on Thursday last. It was circulated by me on that day to the members of the Executive Council. It was considered by the Executive Council on the following day, and the view with regard to the Bill was that while the general principle in the Bill of Ministerial responsibility to the Dáil in respect of court staffs could not be abandoned, that every possible effort should be made to reconcile the conflicting viewpoints with regard to the Bill and to meet the judiciary on the matter. The amendments which have been submitted in draft to the Chief Justice are considered as going quite a long way to do that. I feel, therefore, that an incident which I recognise to have been deplorable and somewhat disedifying may be regarded as closed.
COURT OFFICERS BILL, 1926—THIRD STAGE.
Will the Minister say when the amendments are likely to be circulated?
Quite soon.
Orders 6 and 7 on the Order Paper are discharged, to be taken on the 20th April