It is proposed to take business as on the Order Paper—Items Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5; Item No. 1 to be taken in its appropriate place.
Order of Business.
Can the Minister state what is the date of resumption?
29th October.
May I take it that if there is a request from any Party for the reassembly of the Dáil to discuss some matter of urgent public importance, that request will be acceded to? That privilege has not been used lightly or irresponsibly in the past.
The Deputy may take it most certainly that if any request comes from any responsible quarter, the Dáil will be immediately summoned.
In view of the length of the adjournment, would the Tánaiste not consider that it might be more desirable to fix a date in the first week of September for summoning the Dáil, even though the Government would not put any special volume of business before the House, because a large number of questions would normally arise upon which, in the public interest, we might desire to get information, and for which we would not wish to summon the Dáil specially. If the adjournment were until the first week in September, normal questions which would arise could then be brought up and dealt with, and the Dáil could then, if necessary, adjourn.
I would press on the Tánaiste that the suggestion made by Deputy Mulcahy is one that should receive favourable consideration. In these times of anxiety about supplies and a variety of other domestic problems, questions begin to be asked and rumours get afloat, and very often the whole situation can be cleared up by a series of Parliamentary questions and a discussion on the adjournment, whereas if you have three long months when no official exchange between the Opposition and the Government can take place, a very undesirable situation may arise. If Parliament is specially summoned to ventilate these matters, people think that there is the devil and all to pay, when, in fact, there is nothing more than the normal desire for discussion.
We are quite in the hands of the House, so far as that is concerned, but I understood that agreement as to the date had been arrived at. There may be Bills coming back from the Seanad which may involve calling the Dáil together, but, so far as we are concerned, we are quite ready to call the Dáil together at any time, if there be any demand that it be summoned.
Would the Tánaiste agree to the second Wednesday in September?
That will allow scarcely a month because the Seanad will be sitting next week, and probably the week after, and Ministers will be occupied there.
Could we have agreement that, when the Dáil meets in a fortnight's time, as it will, to take business from the Seanad, Parliamentary Questions will be accepted for that date?
Certainly.
If that were so, we might sit on the 10th, or the 17th September as an interim date.
May I take it that if the House is not likely to sit in order to deal with Bills from the Seanad, the fixing of 17th September would not prevent the House being called earlier, by request, if any matter of urgency arose?
That is understood.
Can the Taoiseach or the Tánaiste assure Deputies that, in view of the lack of facilities for putting down Parliamentary Questions for the next two or three months, matters of urgent public importance raised with Departments by means of letter will get reasonably quick replies?
I think it is scarcely necessary to give an assurance of that kind. I should say that every letter is treated with courtesy and promptitude by the Departments.
The Minister was obviously never in the Land Commission.
I was, once.
It is easily known it was but once.