Dáil Éireann debate -
Friday, 20 May 1927

Vol. 19 No. 25

PUBLIC BUSINESS. - DATE OF DISSOLUTION.

The PRESIDENT

I move:—

Beartuítear leis na rúin seo:

(1) Go gcríochnóidh an Siosón so den Oireachtas, agus de gach Tigh de ar an 23adh lá de Bhealtaine, 1927: Ar choiníoll ná críochnófar Siosón Sheanaid Eireann gan a thoil féin.

(2) Go socruítear dáta aththionóil an Oireachtais agus gurb é dáta é sin ná Déardaoin, an 23adh lá de Mheitheamh, 1927.

(3) Go gcuirtear teachtaireacht chun Seanaid Eireann á chur in úil don Seanad gur ritheadh na Rúin seo agus á iarraidh ar an Seanad toiliú leis an Siosón so aige do chríochnú dá réir sin.

It is hereby resolved:

(1) That the present session of the Oireachtas and of each House thereof do conclude on the 23rd day of May, 1927: Provided that the session of Seanad Eireann shall not be concluded without its own consent.

(2) That the date of re-assembly of the Oireachtas be fixed and that the same shall be Thursday, the 23rd day of June, 1927.

(3) That a message be sent to Seanad Eireann to advise the Seanad of the passing of these resolutions, and to request that the Seanad may be pleased to consent to the conclusion of its present session accordingly.

Mr. JOHNSON

I was hoping that the President would make a formal statement as to what the intentions are in regard to the date of nomination and the date of election. I take it it will be within his competence to do that. The resolution deals with the date of dissolution and the date of the assembly but an important event is to take place between those dates, and it would be very interesting to have an official statement as to what that date is intended to be.

The PRESIDENT

The writs in respect to the coming election will issue on the 23rd May. The last date for receiving nominations will be the 1st June. The present intention is to fix the 9th June as the polling date.

Mr. JOHNSON

Is the 23rd June the earliest date at which it is possible for the House to re-assemble?

The PRESIDENT

After giving the matter as much consideration as I could. I came to the conclusion that the 23rd June would be, taking all matters into account, the earliest convenient day for the reassembly. It is within a fortnight of the day of the poll.

Major COOPER

Has the President considered that a Thursday polling may unduly prolong the counting of the votes over Sunday in some constituencies? Even in County Dublin, although it is concentrated, it will take more than two days. It took up to 4 o'clock on the morning of the following day at the last election to get the counting finished, and that would bring it into Sunday. In some constituencies, like Tirconaill, Kerry and Mayo, where they have to bring ballot boxes from outlying islands off the coast, it takes even longer. Is the counting to proceed on Sunday, or is it intended that the counting should be suspended, and all the ballot papers locked up again, put back into a box and sealed? You cannot very well leave them in the boxes into which they are being sorted. It seems to me this would cause a good deal of delay and inconvenience. Is there any reason why there should not be a Wednesday polling to obviate this difficulty?

Mr. MORRISSEY

I should like to support what Deputy Cooper has said. In some constituencies the count will take four days. The first day after the polling will go in getting the ballot boxes brought in from remote parts. The most of the second day will certainly go in checking the boxes. It will mean in that case that after checking the boxes the whole thing will have to be carried over Sunday. I think the President ought to give some consideration to that. Certainly, as far as some people are concerned, there would be, to say the least of it, a good deal of suspicion as to what might or could happen if the boxes are going to be locked up for the week-end and the counting discontinued.

The PRESIDENT

It ought to have been within the knowledge of every person for the last three or four weeks that Thursday, 9th June, was the earliest date upon which the polling could take place after it was announced that it was our intention to have the dissolution on the 23rd May. It is the earliest date according to the Act on which the polling could take place. The only way to meet the objections made by Deputies Cooper and Morrissey would be to have the polling on the following Wednesday. I do not know whether there are many people with sufficient electioneering appetite to demand another week of speeches and so on. The idea was to get the election over sufficiently early to permit of the tourist traffic, business, and so on being affected to the least possible extent, and that is the earliest date. It is possible, with a little extra work and a little organisation, to finish the counting of the votes within two days, but I do not think that even the inconvenience of the Sunday intervening would justify putting back the election until the following Wednesday.

Mr. MORRISSEY

Is there any reason why the Dáil, if it finishes its business, should not dissolve to-day or to-morrow and have the polling on Wednesday, 8th June?

The PRESIDENT

The position then would be that the nominations would be on the old register, as the new register does not come into force until 1st June. I can assure the Deputy that every effort has been made to see whether it would be possible to have it on an earlier date, but the fact is that the calendar is against us on the point.

Mr. MORRISSEY

There is more than the calender against you.

Question put and agreed to.