It is proposed to take business on the Order Paper in the following order:- Nos. 1, 2, 4, 7 (Vote No. 10), 5, 6, 7 again (Votes Nos. 44, 50, 61, 77, and 79, in that order); No. 3 to be taken in its appropriate place.
Order of Business.
What is the order?
1, 2, 4, 7 (Vote 10); 3 and 5-No. 3 being the Money Resolution; 6; remaining Votes in No. 7, omitting Vote 78.
It is proposed to take Private Deputies' Business at 8 o'clock?
Public Business will be interrupted at 8 o'clock?
Yes.
Is it proposed to take the Insurance (Intermittent Unemployment) Bill next week?
Are we sitting next week?
If we are sitting next week.
Is it intended to sit to-morrow?
I think so.
I think the Minister stated that if it is too early, he is prepared to consider postponing it. I am afraid some bodies would not have considered it by next week.
They have had three weeks to consider it. That is not unreasonable.
Great bodies move slowly.
They can move too slowly.
I would remind the Minister that he offered to postpone it further if there is difficulty. I accepted that.
The Deputy's recollection is not quite correct. I wished to put down the Committee Stage for to-day. On objection being taken to it, I agreed to postpone it to next week. I am not aware that I agreed to postpone it further than next week.
I am asking for a further week.
So far as I know, the business of the Dáil has got to be arranged as well as the convenience of these other bodies considered and if we are going to keep postponing business that is now current we are going to run into a jam of business later on at a time that may be much more inconvenient. I think we should try to get the Committee Stage of the Bill taken next week. If there are any representations to be made by interested bodies-and I am not aware that there are; I am sure if there were likely to be any number of them I would have received notification of them already-then their representations can be considered on the Report Stage, but I think we should make a beginning on the Committee Stage of the Bill next week, if we sit next week.
If the Minister is prepared to consider amendments on the Report Stage, I am quite satisfied.
Certainly.
Very good.
Would the Tánaiste say whether, if there is not sufficient Government business to require the House to sit until 9 o'clock to-morrow, he will make available Government time to-morrow for the discussion of No. 13—Transport Motion?
I would not be able to take that this week.
Supposing the business of the House is only sufficient to occupy until 7 o'clock, is there any difficulty why the motion should not be started?
I am not prepared to take it to-morrow.
I am not talking to the Minister.
I happen to be the Minister concerned. I think my convenience has to be considered as well as the Deputy's.
I will hear the Minister in regard to his convenience in a moment. I want to put to the Tánaiste that if there is only sufficient business to keep us engaged until 7 o'clock to-morrow evening, why cannot we start on No. 13-the transport motion, especially now as changes in the transport system are being foreshadowed? Obviously, the Minister ought to be glad to take an opportunity of telling the House what these changes are, so that we can have an opportunity of asking the Minister questions on these changes, instead of having interviews given, for instance, to the Yorkshire Post or some Fianna Fáil cumann in town. What is the difficulty of starting the motion at 7 o'clock, if Government business is finished at 7 o'clock?
I am not prepared to take that motion out of its turn.
Is it to-day's business or to-morrow's we are discussing?