With regard to matters on the Adjournment, notices have been given of a desire to raise the subject matter of Questions 5, 6 and 18. Merely on the face of the question the Chair would, perhaps, ordinarily recommend that Question 6 should be preferred, seeing that there appears to be some urgency in it. The matter is in order, because although the person in question is in prison by a decree of the District Court, the Minister has power in certain circumstances to order his release. At the same time there is considerable difficulty, as the Minister has stated, in discussing the case of an individual in the House, and it should not be done, I think, until all other means have been exhausted. I do not know whether the two Deputies concerned would postpone the matter until to-morrow evening, and see in the interval whether they could not come to a decision so as to prevent the individual's case being discussed in the House. If that were done I would take the matter of Question 18 this evening.
Matters Proposed for Debate on the Adjournment.
While I am reluctant to waive my right to have this matter discussed, because I think it is important, yet in regard to the matter of Question 18 I am willing to give precedence to Deputy Thrift to raise the matter with which it deals, but I think I should get an early opportunity of raising the question in which I am interested.
I will give the Deputy an opportunity to do so to-morrow evening in preference to anybody else. For the discussion of the matter raised in Question 18 the ordinary period of adjournment will hardly suffice.
I am prepared to move the Adjournment at 10 o'clock for the purpose of taking the subject matter of Question 18. Private members business will, therefore, begin at 8.30.