I move:—
That the proceedings on the Estimates for Public Services for the year ending 31st day of March, 1930, in Committee on Finance and on Report, on the Resolution, in Committee on Finance and on Report, for the issue out of the Central Fund of the sum necessary to make good the supply granted for the service of the year ending on the 31st March, 1930, and on the five stages of the Appropriation Bill, 1929, if not previously brought to a conclusion, shall be brought to a conclusion at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10th, 1929, by putting from the Chair forthwith and successively the Questions necessary to bring the proceedings to a conclusion: Provided that after the said hour on the said day a Question shall not be put from the Chair on any amendment, nor upon any motion other than a motion necessary to bring the proceedings forthwith to a conclusion and then only when moved by the Government: Provided, further, that on the Report of the Resolutions of the Committee on Finance, in respect of the several Estimates for the year —ending 31st March, 1930, only one Question shall be put from the Chair, namely, That the Dáil agrees with the Committee on Finance in the said Resolutions, and that, in Committee on the Appropriation Bill, 1929, only one Question shall be put from the Chair, namely, That the several Sections, Schedules, stand part of, and that the Title be the Title to, the Bill.
On a previous occasion, when moving that the hour of adjournment be extended from 10.30 p.m. to 8 a.m. I said that the Appropriation Bill should pass this House in time to allow 21 days for consideration by the Seanad. During the early part of this session the Committee on Procedure and Privileges had the question of Estimates before them. There are something like 65 Estimates to be considered. They take up something like 100 hours of Parliamentary time each year. To date, something over 100 hours—I think, approximately, 109 hours—have been so occupied. There was an understanding or general acceptance that the House should conclude discussion of Estimates about the 20th June, provided that every Thursday was devoted to the consideration of Estimates. So far as the provision of every Thursday up to 20th of June for Estimates is concerned, that understanding was slightly altered, but a sufficient amount of time was allowed to make up for any alteration that might have taken place. Allowing for the length of time which will elapse between this and 10 o'clock to-night, more than the normal number of hours have been provided for the consideration of Estimates. It is, therefore, not an unusual step to bring the consideration of Estimates to a close.