It is proposed to take the order of business as on the Order Paper—Nos. 1, 2 and 3. It is hoped, if the House gets through all Stages of the Appropriation Bill and the Pigs and Bacon Bill, and if all Parties would agree to the proposal, to conclude the business of this session on Monday next.
Order of Business.
Can the Minister give us any information as regards the date fixed for the general election, if we dissolve on Monday?
It is hoped to have the general election on the earliest possible date in July.
In July?
Yes.
Not in June?
Within the first week of July, it is hoped.
Is it intended to sit to-morrow?
That will depend on the course of the debate to-day.
Is it intended to take the Irish text of the Bunreacht to-morrow?
No, on Monday.
Is it intended, after that, to have some kind of a Fifth Reading debate?
There will be, of course, if the House approves.
The Minister says that it is hoped to have the dissolution on Monday next.
I did not say that exactly.
Well, he said that it is hoped to fix the holding date for the general election early in July. The Minister must be aware that, in the first place, the earlier the elections are held—if they are to be held at this period—the better it will be from the point of view of farming operations.
Yes, that is right.
He must also be aware that, in the second place, apart from the question of farming operations, there is a number of people who go on holidays in July and who move from their places of residence on the 1st of July; and it does seem, if by Monday we are able to dispose of the business, to be peculiarly inconvenient to have the general election held in the month of July, taking into consideration people's responsibilities and arrangements for the month of July, and remembering that they would have to come back, either from the business that many of them will be engaged on, or from holiday pursuits, in order to take part in a general election that could be fixed before the end of June.
The Vice-President said that it was hoped to conclude the business of this session on Monday.
Yes.
Therefore, I take it that it would be possible to dissolve the Parliament on Monday. If that were so, would it not be possible to have the general election on the 30th June?
Deputies know that in matters of this sort you cannot make arrangements too far ahead of time, and it would all depend on the speed with which the business of the Dáil is conducted here. Apart from that, I am not certain, even were you to dissolve on Monday evening, that everything necessary for the general election would be ready. A good deal of work is necessary. For instance, I think it is only right that the Constitution should be available, in its final form, for the people also. I appreciate the point of the remarks made by Deputy Mulcahy, but we cannot arrange ahead of time. As I say, it depends altogether on the speed with which the Dáil can get through its work.
Surely, the President realises that the number of people in the country who will read the Constitution in its final form will be almost infinitesimal. I am sure the President will admit that the people have had an opportunity to follow the various Articles of the Constitution, and the amendments thereto, in the debates here, as reported in the daily newspapers; and I think that the number of people who will study the Constitution in its final form, and who will want to cast their votes on it in its final form, will be very few indeed. I think that the President ought to be able to say now whether or not, if we dissolve on Monday, it should not be possible to have the polling on the 30th June. The President speaks of arrangements being necessary. Surely, those charged with the responsibility of arranging for a general election must have known, for a considerable time past, whether it was to be held in June or July, and all arrangements must have been made already. I suggest, therefore, that it will not make much difference to those people whether the general election is held on the 30th June or on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 6th July, whereas it will certainly make a big difference to the farmers and other people, such as those to whom Deputy Mulcahy referred.
Quite so. I appreciate everything the Deputy has said. I have made inquiries with a view to seeing if everything would be ready, but I would not like to make a promise now that you could have everything ready on the 30th June. With the present information at my disposal, I do not think I would be justified in doing so. We are just as anxious to have the election over as soon as possible. Apart from the convenience of the people, I think that at a period like this you are not getting effective work done and you will not get it done until the uncertainly of the election is over. I think that it is important that we should have it as soon as possible. I promise the Deputy that not an hour will be lost.
I should like to emphasise again that the Electoral Acts contemplate the possibility of the period intervening between the dissolution and the general election being such that it would be possible by dissolving on Monday next to hold the election on the 30th June. The explanation of the President as to why it is necessary to postpone it for another few days is that he hopes to have the Constitution in as many hands as possible, in Irish and English, before the election takes place. The people who will be inconvenienced are either the farmers or persons who are leaving their normal place of residence to go on holidays. These people are being inconvenienced so that they may have a good read of the Constitution before they have to come back to vote.
It is not being published on the morning of the election.
I should like to press this point on the President. I appreciate what the President has said, but I think it is a moderate assumption to say that some thousands of people will go on holidays on the 1st July.
We look upon them all as very valuable voters.
You are treating them very shabbily.
The point is that these people are entitled to get an opportunity of registering their votes. It must be remembered that the majority of the people have no option as to the time they will take their holidays.
All that has been taken into account and has been fully appreciated by us. The point is that we cannot force matters. Obviously there would be another complaint if we tried to force matters through the Dáil, and to get the business done quickly. We have gone as quickly as we could but we cannot force the pace.
I should like to ask what is the necessity then for getting this House to meet on Monday to perform very important work dealing with the Constitution? The President expects Deputies to come from West Cork and from Donegal to Dublin on Monday.
In order that the polling day can be arranged as early as possible. There is a certain statutory time which has to elapse between the Dissolution and the polling day.
If the polling day cannot be fixed for the 30th June, it does not matter very much whether it is to be on the 3rd, 4th or 5th July.
It might matter if it could be fixed for the 1st July. In this matter a day might mean a lot.
I hope the President has borne in mind that it would be immensely more convenient for members of the House to meet on Tuesday rather than on Monday.
I have, but we have to consider the convenience of the electorate on the other side. We are anxious to hold these elections at a time at which they will occasion least inconvenience to the people. They are a much vaster body than we are. The extra day will not matter so much relatively.
I should like to ask the President whether he expects to be in a better position to tell the House when it assembles on Monday what the date of the election will be?
I hope so.