It is proposed to take the business as on the Order Paper in the following order: Items Nos. 1, 4, 2 and 3; Nos. 2 and 3 to be taken at 7 o'clock.
Order of Business.
Could the Tánaiste say whether there is any difficulty in referring the Mental Treatment Bill to a special committee of the House, provided agreement can be secured amongst all Parties? It is, in the main, a machinery Bill. It contains 272 sections, to which there are 310 amendments. The amendments alone are very much bigger than an ordinary Bill and it is not unusual to deal with a Bill of this kind as I suggest. I think it would make for closer consideration and more detailed examination of the Bill and the rights of all Parties in the matter could be safeguarded on the Committee Stage. It would take the Bill out of the House and enable the House to deal with other matters, while in no way neglecting a detailed consideration of the measure. It might be that certain clauses are contentious, but even that difficulty could be surmounted by recommitting the Bill and allowing a Committee Stage discussion on the limited number of sections which might be contentious. I do not know whether that proposal commends itself to the other Parties, but it is not an unusual course to adopt in relation to a Bill of this character. Is there any real difficulty, from the Government point of view, in sending the Bill to a special committee?
I am sorry the Deputy did not give me notice of his intention to raise this matter, because this Bill is ordered as first business to-day, and I am afraid we could not now alter the Order of Business.
I made the suggestion earlier.
I did not hear of it, but I think there is something to be said for the Deputy's point of view. I do not know what the views of other Parties on the matter are, and perhaps if the Deputy and the Parliamentary Secretary, who is mainly concerned in the matter, agreed, the matter could be discussed in the usual way by the Whips with a view to seeing whether the House in general would agree to his proposal. If they agree, I do not see any insuperable objection to adopting the Deputy's suggestion.
I have no rooted objection to the adoption of the suggestion, but I do not believe it will result in a saving of time, because when we come back to the House, after losing a lot of time in Committee, we shall have to go through the same process. We will make as much headway here to-day as we would make with a special committee, provided Deputies do not make too many or too long speeches.
There is no Committee Stage under my scheme, except the examination by the Committee.
It would be all right where there was full agreement, but in relation to every matter on which we are unable to get agreement, the suggestion is that we should have a Committee Stage in the House. We will not have any difficulty with regard to matters on which we are in agreement. It is the matters on which we are not in agreement which will entail discussion.
I do not know whether the Parliamentary Secretary has had experience of special committees of this kind, but it is generally accepted that a special committee is an expeditious way of dealing with a Bill. There are 310 amendments, but there are not half a dozen Deputies interested in the Bill. I am prepared to bet that there will not be a quorum while the Bill is being discussed. The only folk who will remain in the House will be the people who are keenly interested. If that is the position, and I suspect it is, unless there is some mobilisation order served on Deputies, the best thing to do is to have the Bill dealt with by a special committee. We would get a much closer discussion of it in that way.
I can see the difficulty of the Government deciding to adopt the suggestion straight away, but after seeing what progress is made up to whatever point the discussion reaches to-day, if the Government decided that it would suit them to send the Bill to a special committee, I appreciate that it would be a saving of time in the House. We would be completely in agreement with the setting up of a special committee if that would suit the Government.
If the Deputy will leave it over, we can have it discussed. Before 7 o'clock, we shall be able to make an announcement.
Very well.
On what days is it proposed to sit next week?
Saturday next is St. Patrick's Day and I take it that Deputies would wish to be home on that day. They would, therefore, have to leave on Friday, and it is proposed to meet on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
No trains run on Friday.
Most Deputies have cars now, I understand.
Not all.
Surely the Deputy has one?
I am sorry to say I have not.
I thought you might have two.
I should have, I suppose.
I should like to suggest that it is a slovenly way of doing Government business.
Do not use that word.
A very dangerous word.
It is a very objectionable word.
We have not had any suggestion that a change is proposed with regard to sitting on Tuesday.
I am sorry the matter has not been raised with the Deputy by the Whips.
It was raised before this.
According to the Parliamentary Secretary, it has been already raised.
An Tánaiste will remember my astonishment at the unexpected and sudden appearance of the suggestion yesterday, as well as my irritation when we were asked to take certain business on Tuesday. He will also remember that, without prejudice, I agreed to the putting down of some business for Tuesday. We find ourselves in a very difficult position, if we are to be asked to sit on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday without any intimation that that was expected of Deputies from the country or any intimation as to what business was to be taken.
The purpose of the arrangement is to meet the requirements of Deputies from the country.
We ought to hear about it in a formal way.
The Deputy will remember that I mentioned the matter to the Leaders of all Parties last week of sitting on Tuesday, and that, because of the hostility shown to the proposition, I dropped it.
An Tánaiste now tells us that we shall have to sit on Tuesday next.
We will have to sit on Tuesday.
This is the first we have heard of the necessity for doing so.