It is proposed to take business in the following order—Nos. 9 and 7 (Vote 3).
Order of Business.
In connection with Vote 3, it is customary for you, Sir, to state the topics of which the Taoiseach has received notice and those to which you propose to restrict the scope of the debate. On this Estimate the Ceann Comhairle usually mentions matters of that kind.
I have received notice of the following matters to be raised on the Estimate:—
Fine Gael.—Production (including housing), cost of living and taxation.
Clann na Talún.—Agriculture, Emigration and Unemployment.
National Agricultural Party.—The items which this Party gave notice to raise are not now being raised.
Labour Party.—The deterioration of the national economy.
Deputy Dillon.—Communism in its economic aspects.
Deputy Anthony.—Agriculture, industry and the cost of living.
In view of the broad manner in which those notices have been framed, it would be impossible for me to state in advance that any one of them is clearly irrelevant to this debate. I must point out, however, that most of them—agriculture in particular—have already been exhaustively debated on the Estimates for the Offices of the Ministers directly responsible. I will content myself for the moment by saying that this debate may not develop into a recapitulation of debates which have recently taken place.
Why are the subjects, which the national Agricultural Party gave notice to raise, not to be discussed?
It is a matter for that Party.
Does it still exist, Sir?
May I ask you Sir, to re-read the notice of the subject which I intend to raise? What I intended to raise was the economic devices by which the efforts of Communism might be defeated.
I shall read the exact wording of the Deputy's notice. If all these notices are to be read in full they will take some time. The Deputy's notice was:—
"The Communist effort to destroy democratic institutions by infiltration and methods in economic sphere to counteract them."
Quite, thank you.
But there is not to be repetition of what the Deputy stated on other Estimates.
Sir, did you read the full note supplied by the Labour Party?
No. Senator L.J. Duffy's eloquence is superfluous.
"The deterioration of the national economy as exemplified by declining agricultural production, widespread unemployment, emigration, adverse balance of trade, excessive profit margins, high prices of essential commodities and a general dis-organisation of transport services"
—some of the items of which were fully discussed in the debate on the Estimate for the Department of Industry and Commerce. However, we will see that when we come to it.
Could we ask the Ceann Comhairle, in view of the diversity of the subjects to be raised, if he could give any estimate of when the debate would end or at what period of the year, or the year itself?
It depends on how many participate in the discussion and at what length.