As regards amendment No. 2, at Question Time to-day I expressed some doubt as to the relevancy of that amendment. In it reference is made to two Local Government Acts—1923 and 1925. I have since looked up the Local Elections Act of 1937 and the Local Government Act, 1941. In the 1937 Act, Section 3 runs:—
"Nothing in this Act shall prejudice or affect the operation of any Order made (whether before or after the passing of this Act) under Section 12 of the Local Government (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923 (No. 9 of 1923), or Section 72 of the Local Government Act, 1925 (No. 5 of 1925)."
That is an Order, let us say, abolishing a local body. This provision was adapted by Section 54 of the Local Government Act, 1941, which expressly provides that nothing in those Acts shall affect such an Order. The Bill before the House is a single purpose Bill, a Bill to postpone elections. Deputies might imagine from the tone that permeated the Second Reading that it is a Bill to arrange for holding local elections. It is, however, a Bill to postpone such elections. If the elections are held, they will be such elections as fall to be held within the law and do not include public bodies that have been abolished by Order as expressly provided by the two Acts mentioned. This amendment, therefore, is quite outside the scope of this measure.