I want to ask the Dáil for permission to take all stages of this Bill to-day. It is a very minor measure, and can be circulated at once. The reason for the urgency is that the Bill must be law before 1st May, that is it must have passed through the Dáil and Seanad. The Seanad is meetting to-day, and I understand is likely to complete the business on its agenda to-day. They are willing to take this Bill after their business to-day, whereas, if it did not reach them to-day, it would involve another special meeting of the Seanad for the purpose. It is a Bill to confirm three Orders made under the Emergency Imposition of Duties Act, none of which I think can be regarded as important. They are minor Orders. I would ask the Dáil to facilitate me by agreeing to take this Bill at, say, 6 or 7 o'clock.
Imposition of Duties (Confirmation of Orders) Bill, 1942—First Stage.
When were the Orders issued?
They were issued some months ago.
What are they? It is very hard for us to remember them by number.
One effects a change in the defination of duty on cotton wool; another reduces the duty upon chassis for electrically driven motor vehicles, and the third gives power to grant licences for the free importation of a number of articles that are subject to duty.
Could the Minister give any indication as to the articles in respect of which the duty is to be removed?
None of these Orders takes off a duty.
They do the same thing. They give power to import duty free.
Practically every article in respect of which the power has not been held up to the present.
This makes a clean sheet. We can bring in anything now?
It is something of a formality because the actual duties have already been suspended in respect of a number of these articles by Emergency Powers Order. Nevertheless, the formality of confirming the Order must be proceeded with by the Dáil because certain legal complications will follow if that procedure is not carried out.
Is not one of these Orders the Draft Order brought in for the purpose of establishing a cotton wool factory in Clonskea——
No.
——which made it impossible to get supplies of surgical cotton goods in Great Britain?
No.
What is Order No. 403 of 1941?
It effects a minor change in the definition of cotton wool in the original Act which was enacted in 1940.
It is bad enough to be asked to do business in this way, but let us not make it worse. I take it that we have given authority for the introduction of this Bill, and let us agree that we will have the Second Stage of it some time later in the day. When we see the Bill and when we deal with it on the Second Stage, we can see how much further we can go.
That is reasonable enough. The only reason for my pressing that it should be taken in this manner is that otherwise a special meeting of the Seanad would be involved, which for many reasons is undesirable, unless absolutely necessary.
Agreed: That the Second Stage be taken at 6 p.m.