It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 4, 6 and 5. If the discussion on No. 4 should still be in progress at 6 p.m., it is proposed to interrupt the discussion on that Bill from 6 to 7.30 to take Vote 62.
Order of Business.
It is not proposed to take all the Estimates before the Health Bill?
Oh, no, only Vote 62.
Will the Health Bill be taken after Vote 62?
After 62, but if, as is probable, discussion on No. 4 will be in progress at 6 o'clock, then the Committee will adjourn until 7.30 and the Dáil will discuss Vote 62.
When we have disposed of Vote 62 is the Health Bill to be taken before the rest of the Estimates?
Yes.
I want to ask the Government, particularly in view of the circulation only this morning of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Bill, which has some bearing on the Health Bill, to postpone consideration of the Health Bill until next week in order to give the House an opportunity of seeing how the two Bills fit into each other, because they do represent a tearing apart of services that up to this have been treated as one.
They are completely independent measures.
No, they are not completely independent matters, at least, I do not think so.
Oh, they are.
In any case, there are two Bills now dealing with two separate Departments which had been one. I have not had an opportunity even of looking at the heading of the Bill circulated this morning, much less of being informed as to what is in the Bill.
They are completely separate and segregated.
Will the Minister look at paragraph 1 of the White Paper in which he says precisely the opposite that they are two parts of the same Bill?
I would ask the Minister to defer the Second Reading and certainly not to take it to-day.
It is desired to make some progress. We are running very late already in the session with a number of Bills.
Nobody wants to hold up progress in this matter. It is not for that purpose that I make this suggestion, but there is plenty of other work that is equally important.
The Deputy will understand that it is likely that the House will desire to have a considerable interval between the Second Reading and the Committee Stage. If it is not to run too late in the session with the Bill, it is desirable that the Second Reading should be disposed of fairly quickly.
Quite, and what I suggest would not cause any greater time to be taken up with the Second Stage.
May I direct the attention of the Tánaiste to this: despite the fact that he informs the House that these are two separate Bills, the first paragraph of the Minister's own White Paper reads:—
"The Public Health Bill, 1945, having been withdrawn and a Department of Health having been established it becomes necessary to introduce a separate measure embodying those portions of the original Bill which relate to matters which continue to be the responsibility of the Minister for Local Government."
They are still two separate Bills.
You pays your money and you takes your choice.
We will deal with No. 5 when we come to it.