I propose to ask the House to agree to the amendments which have been proposed in this Bill in the Seanad, and to take up the further consideration of the Bill this day week. No amendment which has been introduced in the Seanad in any way goes to alter the principles which were contained in the Bill as it left this House. There is one amendment which I might mention, because, from what I have heard, its tenor seems to have been mistaken by certain persons. That is amendment 14, which is an amendment to Section 16 of the Bill. That amendment simply means that a person cannot be prosecuted under Section 16 because of something contained in a book or paper which was a mere advertisement of a book which might advocate birth control. That is to say, that a person cannot be prosecuted if the advertisement merely mentions the name of a book. If an advertisement states that there are such and such books in existence, well, that will not be the subject matter for a prosecution under Section 16. But if an advertisement in itself becomes an advocacy of birth control, then of course a prosecution will lie. The mere naming, the mere setting down of a list of books for sale, some of which may contain an advocacy of birth control, is not in itself an advocacy of birth control, whereas if there is in the advertisement of the book anything of that kind, then a prosecution will lie. I propose to take up the consideration of these amendments from the Seanad this day week.
Censorship of Publications Bill, 1929—From the Seanad.
What does that mean? Is it that we should now accept all the amendments?
No; we will discuss them this day week.
This is a sort of preliminary canter.
The Minister was endeavouring to have a preliminary run to which he was not entitled. The amendments made to the Bill by the Seanad will be considered on next Wednesday. The Minister intends to move on that day that the Dáil agree with the Seanad in each of the amendments.