By the leave of the House, the Taoiseach will make his statement before the Financial Motions are introduced and the House will be given a suitable opportunity to debate the statement in conjunction with the last Financial Resolution, as the two hang together. They will give a complete picture of the proposals. There is associated with that statement a Supplementary Budget and the best arrangement would be to treat the Taoiseach's statement as introductory to the Budget Statement which will then be made by the Minister for Finance. First, we shall have the Taoiseach's statement and then the statement by the Minister for Finance introducing the proposals and, finally, the debate covering both, as both deal to a large extent, I understand, with the same matter. As soon as the Minister for Finance has introduced his Supplementary Budget the Resolutions will be dealt with in the usual fashion. I understand that it is the general desire of the House that the general debate should be entered on to-day.
Business of Dáil.
I do not know whether you are ruling on the order which is to be adopted now or not or if the House wants to decide how it will deal with the business. I understand that this is a Supplementary Budget and that there is going to be a double-barrelled introduction. Normally, after the Minister for Finance has made his Budgetary Statement, No. 1 Resolution is put before the House and the Leaders of the various Parties have an opportunity of making short statements of a general kind, not restricted by the nature of No. 1 Resolution. As far as I am concerned and as far as the members on this side of the House are concerned it is desired to proceed at the earliest possible moment with the general discussion and not to postpone the general discussion until to-morrow.
I would like to be clear as to whether you want an agreement by the House in regard to the procedure. I think it would be a suitable way, as far as I am concerned, to hear the two statements as if they were just one. Is it intended to take up the general discussion on the General Resolution and that if anybody wants to elicit information by way of question on the matter brought out in the Minister for Finance's statement or has an objection to any Financial Resolution he can briefly indicate the reasons for the objection and that the general discussion will be reserved?
I think that is agreed.
Is it understood that we are, firstly, to discuss the Taoiseach's statement as a separate statement from the Supplementary Budget? I think if Leaders of Parties desire to make some observations and comments on that speech, without dealing with the matter in a general way, they should be permitted to do so. Aside from that there is the question of the Budget. I understand the Minister for Finance is going to introduce a Supplementary Budget to-day and that there will be a number of Resolutions placed before the House and, in accordance with the customary practice, only the General Resolution will be left over for discussion to-morrow. It does not seem to be an intelligent way of approaching this problem to have the Budget Statement read to-day and, without the Parties having an opportunity to consider the matter, to be expected to pass judgment on it. It is obviously more desirable that the Parties, having heard the Budget for the first time, should have the opportunity to consider it from a more mature point of view, and not a hastily concluded view on an important matter of this kind. We very definitely prefer that the discussion should remain over until to-morrow in accordance with the usual practice.
If Deputy Norton is perturbed at the prospect of having to make a statement on the General Resolution to-day and being precluded from expressing a more considered view to-morrow, am I not correct in asserting that the Dáil will be in Committee on Finance and that the Deputy will be able to supplement any observations made to-day?
Leave Deputy Norton out of consideration. Any Deputy who speaks on the General Resolution to-day will not have the opportunity to speak to-morrow.
Mr. Morrissey
That is not so.
It is not the usual practice, but it is not contrary to order.
Mr. Morrissey
May I submit that while it is very unusual, it is quite within the competence of the House to discuss to-day on the General Resolution matters which will be outlined by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance and that we can also have to-morrow in accordance with the usual practice a discussion on the Budget as distinct from the speeches made to-day?
Is it perfectly clear that any Deputy, apart from the Leaders of the Parties, who speaks this evening, may speak to-morrow on the General Resolution?
Yes.
As a matter of fact, every Deputy may have the opportunity to speak twice.
Provided he does not repeat himself.
As long as he can avoid repeating himself each Deputy can make two speeches.
I am not advocating two speeches, but a Deputy would be within his rights in speaking a second time.
The General Resolution will be moved to-day.
Yes.
And there will be a general discussion to-day.
Certainly.
But the Dáil being in Committee and because of peculiar circumstances, a Deputy can speak to-morrow even after having spoken to-day.
Yes.
It is the practice on Budgetary matters that the Leaders of Parties speak briefly on the first question. I presume the prohibition on speaking in detail will not apply to-day.
The practice was that those speeches were made by Leaders of Parties when the Minister for Finance had concluded.
It was always possible to confine the speeches to narrow limits, for it all was discussed on the general Budgetary resolution, but the Taoiseach's speech to-day is going to open wider fields. The Taoiseach is going to speak first and the speeches to-night will have to deal with both statements because it will not be possible to segregate one from the other.
That is understood.
Therefore, the old rule with regard to brevity does not apply?
Not on the General Resolution. Of course, the Financial Resolutions, with the exception of that Resolution, must be passed.
The Taoiseach's speech and the Budget will be open to debate.
The speakers will not be confined to short speeches?
That was intended to apply to the first Resolution, on which there will be no speeches to-day outside the terms of that Resolution.
Can you arrange that the Minister for Local Government will not speak?
Or Deputy Davin.
Will the Taoiseach or the Minister for Finance reply?
The Minister for Finance.