In the absence of the President yesterday I asked the Minister for Justice if he could tell the House when it was hoped to adjourn for the Summer Recess, as it had been stated earlier that the adjournment for the Summer Recess would take place about the 7th July, a date which has passed, and he asked me to repeat the question to-day. With your permission, a Chinn Comhairle, I will put the same question now to the President as I put yesterday to the Minister for Justice.
Adjournment for Summer Recess.
I fear that in order to complete the work of the Session it will be necessary to sit until the 11th August. Besides the matters on the Order Paper, there are three other Bills which it is hoped to put through, namely, the Land Bond Bill; the Barrow Drainage Bill and the Temporary Economies Bill (Local Authorities).
May I point out to the President that when it was stated three months ago that the House would probably adjourn on 7th July many members on this side of the House made arrangements accordingly and were unable to cancel those arrangements. Consequently they will not be in attendance. It is hardly fair at this stage to press measures in which probably these members are interested when they will not be present.
I sympathise with the Deputy. I regret very much that it is necessary to sit on, but the work must be got through, and if the Opposition had facilitated us by not repeating unnecessary statements we probably would have been able to get through before now. However, the work has to be got through, and if the Opposition are going to take up all the time it cannot be helped.
Will the President say whether any time might be saved by introducing some Bills in the Seanad in the first instance?
I do not think so.