asked the Minister for Lands and Agriculture if he is aware that at the Conference on Hours of Fairs which was held in his Department some considerable time ago, a recommendation was made that a minute of the proceedings of the Conference should be circulated to the different bodies interested; whether he will state if the recommendation of the Conference in this regard has been carried out; and, if not, whether he will take immediate steps to see that this is done.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - CONFERENCE ON HOURS OF FAIRS.
Mr. HOGAN
The Deputy is, I think, under a slight misapprehension. At the Conference held on 17th June, it was agreed that another Conference on the subject should be convened later, and that the views of the first Conference should be conveyed in advance to that second Conference. Further inquiries which the Department have initiated are not yet completed, and accordingly it has not been considered desirable to summon the second Conference as yet.
I may point out that changes in the hours of fairs for the country at large would entail legislation. The whole matter is receiving the Department's careful consideration.
The Minister does not definitely state that the minutes of the original Conference were circulated since that Conference.
Mr. HOGAN
The agreement was that the minutes of that Conference should be sent forward to the second Conferences.
My understanding was that the minutes of that Conference were to be sent forward to the different bodies interested, and I suppose they would be the parties that would be represented at the Second Conference. I understand that these minutes have not been sent.
Mr. HOGAN
The Second Conference has not been called yet.
But the bodies represented at the Second Conference might like to have the minutes of this Conference before then—I want just to point that out—so as to be able to form an opinion on the matters that would come up at the next Conference.
Mr. HOGAN
I daresay the members of the Second Conference will have these minutes before them, but that Conference has not yet met, and so far nothing has happened to preclude the Department from honouring the agreement they came to, to circulate these minutes in advance to the Second Conference.