It is proposed to take the business as on the Order Paper in the following order. Items Nos. 1, 2 and 3. No. 3 will be taken at 7 o'clock and, when completed, the debate on No. 2 will be resumed. It is not proposed to take Private Deputies' Business to-day.
Order of Business.
I should like to know why Private Members are being denied their rights to enter into a discussion of their motions at 7.30 this evening?
It is not desired to deprive Private Deputies of any rights. The intention is that the Dáil shall adjourn this week, and it is necessary that items Nos. 2, 3 and 4 should be disposed of this week. The Government are quite prepared to give Private Deputies' time to-day if we can be promised the co-operation of the members of the Dáil in disposing of items Nos. 2, 3 and 4 this week.
I again protest against Private Members' time being absorbed in the way in which the Government have been attempting recently to absorb it. We are now entering on the financial part of the year and it is generally recognised that Private Members cannot expect to be allowed their privilege of getting time for the consideration of their motions when it might interfere with the carrying out of the financial work of the House. But, in other circumstances, and particularly at this time of the year, I consider it is wrong and unjust, and it is trampling on the rights of Private Members who want to discuss matters connected with the ordinary life of the country, to deprive them of the time to which they are entitled.
If the Deputy, as leader of a Party, and the leaders of the other Parties, will undertake to cooperate in disposing of the business, as ordered for the week, within the week, so as to permit of the Dáil adjourning on Friday, the Government will be quite prepared to allow Private Members' time.
I think it is treating the House almost with impudence to ask Deputies, considering the Bills put before us and the way in which they have been presented, to take a sudden decision to get through the work in a very limited time. The Government were offered, from various parts of the House, an arrangement to set up a special committee to deal with the Mental Treatment Bill. The Government decided that they would deal with the matter in the ordinary time of the House. Of course, that is a matter for the Government, but it is absurd that heavy and substantial legislation should be brought in at this time in such a way as to absorb the few hours that would normally be devoted to Private Members' Business.
I do not think it is correct to say that during the whole of the session Private Members have been denied rights. If a calculation were made I believe it would be found that a larger amount of time is devoted to the consideration of Private Deputies' Business than the Standing Orders would require.
The House is well aware that, in order to facilitate one another, the various Parties have come to an agreement that the discussion of Private Members' motions will take place for only three hours, and that agreement has been fairly substantially observed throughout the whole of the sittings. There are motions on the Order Paper for months in the names of Private Deputies, and some of the motions that have been discussed recently were on the Order Paper for more than 12 months.
I suggested to the Tánaiste about a fortnight ago that he might refer the Mental Treatment Bill to a special committee, but for some reason which has never been explained, that proposal was not acceptable to the Parliamentary Secretary. If the proposal had been acceptable to the Parliamentary Secretary— I understand it was acceptable to members of the Government—we could have disposed of the Mental Treatment Bill last week while the House at the same time was discussing the Vote on Account. Because the Government would not accept that proposal, a proposal which was designed to facilitate the Government and the House, we are now in the position that the Mental Treatment Bill is thrown at us and we are told: "Pass this, lads, before we rise for Easter." This is a Bill containing 272 sections, and 310 amendments have been tabled, the bulk of them being Ministerial amendments. It is hardly fair to throw a Bill of that size at us, together with so many Government amendments, and say to us: "Pass this and if you do not pass it you will not get Private Deputies' time." Is it not possible even now to refer this Bill to a special committee, that is, if it is desired to deal with the matter expeditiously?
That issue does not arise now.
Of course it arises now, but the Minister does not want it to arise.
The question that arises is whether or not Public Business be not interrupted at 7.30 to take Private Deputies' Business. I am putting the question that Public Business be not interrupted at 7.30.
Question put.
The Dáil divided: Tá, 47; Níl, 31.
Tá
- Aiken, Frank.
- Bartley, Gerald.
- Beegan, Patrick.
- Blaney, Neal.
- Boland, Gerald.
- Boland, Patrick.
- Brady, Brian.
- Breathnach, Cormac.
- Breen, Daniel.
- Brennan, Thomas.
- Breslin, Cormac.
- Buckley, Seán.
- Burke, Patrick (Co. Dublin).
- Butler, Bernard.
- Carter, Thomas.
- Colbert, Michael.
- Colley, Harry.
- Daly, Francis J.
- De Valera, Eamon.
- Flynn, Stephen.
- Fogarty, Andrew.
- Fogarty, Patrick J.
- Furlong, Walter.
- Killilea, Mark.
- Kilroy, James.
- Kissane, Eamon.
- Lemass, Seán F.
- Little, Patrick J.
- Lynch, James B.
- McCann, John.
- McCarthy, Seán.
- MacEntee, Seán.
- Morrissey, Michael.
- O Briain, Donnchadh.
- O Cléirigh, Mícheál.
- O'Connor, John S.
- O'Grady, Seán.
- O'Reilly, Matthew.
- O'Rourke, Daniel.
- O'Sullivan, Ted.
- Rice, Bridget M.
- Ryan, James.
- Sheridan, Michael.
- Smith, Patrick.
- Ua Donnchadha, Dómhnall.
- Walsh, Laurence.
- Ward, Conn.
Níl
- Bennett, George C.
- Byrne, Alfred.
- Cafferky, Dominick.
- Cogan, Patrick.
- Coogan, Eamonn.
- Cosgrave, Liam.
- Dockrell, Henry M.
- Dockrell, Maurice E.
- Donnellan, Michael.
- Doyle, Peadar S.
- Everett, James.
- Finucane, Patrick.
- Giles, Patrick.
- Halliden, Patrick J.
- Hughes, James.
- Keating, John.
- Keyes, Michael.
- Larkin, James (Junior).
- McAuliffe, Patrick.
- MacEoin, Seán.
- McFadden, Michael Og.
- McMenamin, Daniel.
- Mulcahy, Richard.
- Murphy, Timothy J.
- Norton, William.
- O'Leary, John.
- Pattison, James P.
- Redmond, Bridget M.
- Reynolds, Mary.
- Roddy, Martin.
- Spring, Daniel.
Tellers:—Tá: Deputies Kissane and O Briain; Níl: Deputies Doyle and Keyes.
Question declared carried.