It is proposed to take the business as on the Order Paper, items 3, 5 and 4. Item 4 will include Votes 69 and 46. We will then take items 6 and 7. Item 2 will be taken in its appropriate place. When the business, as ordered, is completed, it is proposed to take Private Deputies' business.
Order of Business.
Is it the intention to sit next week?
No.
What is the Parliamentary programme for the period between now and the Christmas adjournment? Will the House sit the week after next?
I expect so.
And then will it sit each week until the adjournment for Christmas?
That will depend on the business. I imagine there will be Government business to keep us going almost to Christmas.
Have the Government fixed the date on which the House will adjourn for the Christmas Recess?
We have not considered that yet.
When will time be given for a discussion of the motion "That Emergency Powers (No. 124) Order, 1941, be and is hereby annulled"? It is most proper that that motion should be discussed and that there should also be a discussion with regard to the price of wheat, before the House adjourns for Christmas.
Those motions could be taken in their appropriate places.
There is an important motion regarding a fixed minimum price for good milling wheat. I think that should be discussed as soon as possible.
I shall make inquiries with regard to those motions.
A discussion of them after Christmas will be of little use.
No doubt the Tánaiste is aware that there are seven motions on the Order Paper which would normally take up 21 hours of Parliamentary time. Surely, some arrangement can be made to clear these off the Order Paper before the Christmas adjournment?
Why not withdraw them?
If the Minister had the good sense to withdraw when he was dealing with the Trade Union Bill——
The rights of private Deputies are not going to be interfered with by the new Minister for Local Government. I doubt if he really desires——
If the Deputy has a question to ask——
The Minister for Local Government interrupted.
This interchange of compliments might be deferred to some other sphere.
I think the Minister should be asked to go out when Deputies are asking intelligent questions.
Does the Tánaiste propose to give sufficient time before the adjournment for Christmas to permit us to dispose of the motions submitted by private members? It is no use saying that there is no business to go on with when we have seven motions submitted by private Deputies.
We are giving time to-night for the consideration of private business.
Is this not the appropriate time to discuss motions dealing with flour and bread supplies for next year? I suggest this is the most suitable time for discussing the price of wheat and deciding on the minimum amount of tillage.
The Deputy has already asked that question.
I suggest the Minister for Industry and Commerce should now bring in his Vote for the bread subsidy for next year.
I brought that in last week.
You told us that was for the present year, dealing with the present crop. When we are fixing a price for wheat we will be dealing with the future crop.
Is there any difficulty in arranging a sitting for next week in order to deal with the motions on the Order Paper? Those motions deal with very important matters. One seeks to annul an Emergency Powers Order. Should not an opportunity be provided without delay to deal with that? Is there any reason why the House should not sit next Wednesday and Thursday?
Let the Whips deal with that matter.
Normally we would meet unless the Government prevent us. Will the Tánaiste say why we cannot meet next week?
There is not sufficient Government business to keep us going.
These matters surely concern Government business in as much as they arise out of actions taken by the Government? We got a promise that we would have an opportunity of discussing these matters.
The Minister for Finance says there is no Government business. The Government are doing most of their business by means of Emergency Powers Orders and they have got considerable facilities in that respect. I think private Deputies' rights ought to be respected and reasonable opportunity should be given to them to discuss motions that have been quite a long time on the Order Paper.
We will have time to-night for one of them, anyhow.