It is proposed to take business on the Order Paper in the following order:— No. 5 (Vote 69, resumed) and the last motion on the Order Paper in the names of Deputies Hughes, Bennett and MacEoin.
Order of Business.
When will the motion be taken?
When the discussion on Vote 69 has concluded.
But if the discussion on Vote 69 does not conclude——
That is another day's work.
This is a most important motion affecting the supply position of one of the most essential food commodities and, from the agricultural point of view, one of the most important branches of Irish agriculture. We are faced with a situation where our pig population has virtually disappeared, and I think that time should be provided to-day for a discussion of this motion.
Time is being provided for it.
In the event of the Minister's Vote not being concluded before 9.30 to-night——
Surely the Deputy has sufficient influence with his colleagues to ensure that it will be concluded to-night?
The Minister for Local Government might give me a chance of making my point. I feel that if time cannot be provided to take this motion to-day some provision should be made to sit late to-morrow to deal with the motion. Could the House not consider a suggestion of that kind?
It is a matter for arrangement between the Whips of the various Parties.
Is it the intention that no matter when Vote 69 is concluded, this motion will be taken to-morrow?
No. I am only giving the order of business for to-day.
And the Government cannot be expected to look further than to-day!
I feel that Deputy Hughes is extremely lucky because his is the last Private Members' motion on the Order Paper. This is the second time that Fine Gael has got away with it at our expense. I say good luck to them if they can get away with it, but there is something unfair about the procedure. I now ask whether the Minister for Supplies will be good enough when his Estimate is under consideration—I think the matter has been mentioned to him already—to to give us an opportunity to finish the discussion on the motion dealing with transport which has already been before the House.
I suggest that we should discuss that matter in the course of the discussion on the Vote for Industry and Commerce.
And the Minister will then give us an opportunity of putting the motion to the House?
The discussion could take place simultaneously with the discussion on the main Vote.
Deputy Hughes will now see how lucky he is to get away with it.
Deputy Davin talks of my being lucky but, to be strictly honest, I think that there is no hope on earth of this motion coming on to-day and the Minister knows that well.
Let us settle this business here and now. A deliberate attempt is being made, in my judgment, by the Government to prevent this motion being discussed. This is the second occasion on which the Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach has intimated that this motion would be taken after certain business, knowing well that such business would not be finished on that day and the object of the Government is to prevent the motion being discussed. Cannot two hours be provided for a discussion of this motion and could we not arrange now to give these two hours to-day or to-morrow? I suggest that the arrangement announced by the Minister is made with the deliberate intention of preventing this motion from being discussed. If the Minister intends to provide an opportunity for the discussion of Deputy Hughes' motion, let it be announced now that two hours will be given to-morrow for it. Within these two hours, I venture to suggest that the necessary facts will be ventilated. Will you give these two hours to-morrow?
The first and only request I received to have time allocated for a discussion of this motion was in the form of a letter received from Deputy Mulcahy last week. I then made provision for its being taken following an Estimate that had already been two days under discussion in this House. Surely it was a fairly safe assumption that on the third day the three hours provided would be available for the discussion of that motion? It so happened, however, that the Estimate took three full days. For the second time inside the same week, the week following the receipt of the request for time, I am giving an opportunity to this House to take that motion. Surely there is no evidence there of any attempt on our part to stifle discussion on it?
The Parliamentary Secretary is not joking?
It was well known to the Parliamentary Secretary that these Estimates which were under discussion —Turf and Supplies—are Estimates that might go on almost indefinitely, more especially when the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance has a jug of water in front of him and is himself good for two hours at least——
What about Deputy Dillon?
I put it to Deputy Hughes that he should find out whether they will give him a chance of having this pig motion discussed before the adjournment. I fear from all this wriggling and eyewash that we shall not get a chance of discussing it.
My purpose in rising is to point out that the House is not in Committee. This motion is in the name of Deputy Hughes, who has now twice made representations in regard to it. Deputy Dillon has also spoken twice. To intervene twice on the same lines in such circumstances is not orderly.
Are we going to get time to discuss this motion?
It has been put down for to-day.
What time?
When the discussion on the Estimate is finished.
It will not finish to-day.
Might I ask a question? Though the House is not in Committee, I merely intervened before to ask another question. If the Government is serious in allocating time for a discussion of this motion, could they not interrupt the discussion on this Estimate to give the Minister an opportunity of relaxing and then take the motion?
It is not proposed to do that.
That is all I wanted to know. I did not expect that it was proposed to do it.
Mr. Byrne
Why not? Why should not time be allowed?
Might I ask whether we will get time to-morrow? There is no hope of getting time to-day.
And they do not intend to give you time.