It is proposed to take the business as on the Order Paper, items 3 to 17 inclusive, omitting item No. 10, the Local Government Bill for 1936; the Money Resolutions to be taken in their appropriate places, public business not to be interrupted at 9 o'clock for the taking of Private Deputies' business. If and when this business is finished, the Dáil will adjourn until Wednesday, the 4th November, 1936.
Order of Business.
Would the Vice-President say is it the intention to take up item 17, the Land Bill, to-day?
That is included in items 3 to 17. That business will be taken up.
There are on the Order Paper ten items and certain Supplementary Estimates which have been laid before us since the House sat. Amongst these are the Insurance Bill, the Air Navigation and Transport Bill, together with several minor pieces of legislation, all of which are given precedence over the Land Bill. I submit that it is a matter of vital importance that certain matters arising on the Report Stage of the Land Bill should be debated here to-day in view of statements made by the Minister for Lands in the country during the last week. Seeing that the Vice-President desires to have all the business disposed of before the Adjournment, I submit that it cannot make any difference in what order the business is taken, particularly in view of the fact that the Minister for Lands is present. I therefore ask the Government to give precedence to the Land Bill and to allow the other matters to follow in the order as they appear. Otherwise, the House will be denied an opportunity of discussing fundamental matters arising out of the Land Bill in time to inform certain electors to whom representations have been made from public platforms by the Minister for Lands.
I see no reason why the other items on the Order Paper are not likely to be concluded in about three hours, so that there would be plenty of time for discussing the Land Bill this evening and tomorrow.
If that is so, what objection could there be to taking the Land Bill now and dispose of it and then go on to the other matters?
The Government arranges the Order of Business.
I agree, but I submit that they are deliberately arranging the Order of Business so that the Land Bill will not be discussed until such time as the Galway election is over.
We have no reason to worry about Galway.
What time has been allowed for the debate on the Adjournment?
As much time as the House wishes provided that it will be finished before 12 o'clock tomorrow night.
That is not a fair way of treating the matter. The Government must have made up their minds to allot some time.
We will give as much time as the House wishes tomorrow and Friday, if necessary.
Is the Minister not in a position to say that there has been agreement between the Whips on the matter?
We have not asked for an agreement. We want to give as much time as this week will allow.
If the Minister is so discourteous as to neglect the fact that the Whips should be consulted will he now state what time he proposes to allot to the Adjournment Debate?
I repudiate in toto the charge of discourtesy. There has been none. If there was any attempt made to confine the time, there might be some point in that, but there is no such intention. The Deputy can have as much time as he likes. We will stay up all night if he likes, or if anybody in the House expresses any desire for a longer debate than usual on the Adjournment.
The Minister is sufficiently well acquainted with the procedure of the House from past experience as to quite well understand that the Whips have always been consulted on a matter of this kind and a successful attempt made in most cases to get agreement.
There have been attempts made frequently when there was a desire to have the Adjournment Debate held within a limited space of time but there is no limit this time within this week. Therefore, there is no necessity for it, I take it. That is my understanding of the matter. If there was an attempt to curtail the time I could understand the Whips being brought into the matter, but as there is no attempt to curtail it, I do not see what foundation the Deputy has for this except to hear his own voice.
Is the Minister in a position to say that the Whips have been consulted? It is the customary practice.
Might I say that I think Deputy Davin is under a misapprehension? The question of consulting the Whips has not arisen because, so far as we are aware, the Government have no desire to restrict the time on the Adjournment Debate. If, at a later stage, it appears to the House that adequate time is not available for discussion on the Thursday and Friday of this week, it might then be open to negotiation for the House to meet again, if that course recommended itself to all sides. Unless that probability arises, I suggest to Deputy Davin that it would be superfluous to have any consultation between the Whips, as there is no proposal to restrict the time.
I wish to protest because discussions are going on between two sides of the House while other people are not consulted.
No discussion of any kind has taken place between the Opposition and the Government as to any kind of restriction or limitation on the time for the Adjournment Debate.
Ordered: That public business be not interrupted at 9 o'clock for the taking of Private Deputies' business.