The subject matter of question No. 2 will be raised upon the adjournment.
Question on the Adjournment.
On that question I want to say this——
What can the Deputy say? He has given notice to raise this question on the adjournment. What can he say now as he has given such notice?
I want to say this: The President said that the Minister will not answer. That may be due to the fact that it would be inconvenient for the Minister to be here. I want to know is this a definite refusal of the Minister to answer a perfectly fair and reasonable question put forward, or whether it would be more convenient for the Minister to have the question raised at some other time?
I do not know whether the question is one for the Minister for Finance at all. The question is "to ask the Minister for Finance to state the reasons why preference is now being given to citizens who had served in the National Army for work provided out of the Relief Scheme Vote." That Vote, if my information is correct, falls under at least two Ministers—possibly three. The Deputy has not said which one. I cannot undertake to have three Ministers here to answer questions of that sort.
The President knows this is a question of policy, and if he thinks it is not right to ask any particular Minister to answer he may give an answer to it himself.
I am not taking up that line at all, or going to take up that line. I want to know more about the question before I answer it.
I want to know whether I shall be answered on the motion for the adjournment to-night or at some other time?
Unless the Deputy provides further information than he has provided, I do not see how any Minister could answer him.
I shall do it on the adjournment. If the Minister is not here I will exercise my right.
The Deputy can exercise his right any time he pleases. We will keep him in good order. The Deputy should be more specific in his complaint.
The President ignores plain English.