It is proposed to take business in the following order:— Nos. 1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and then No. 9, the Money Resolutions Nos. 2 and 3 to be taken at their appropriate place. No. 9, the Finance Bill, will be taken at 7 p.m. It is not proposed to interrupt public business to take Private Deputies' business this evening.
Order of Business.
I presume that the Finance Bill will be taken at 7 o'clock or earlier?
The Minister is anxious to deal with the matter as early as possible, but he is engaged in the Seanad at present. He may be available in the Dáil earlier than 7 o'clock.
May I ask when it is proposed to take the Committee Stage of the Industrial Efficiency and Prices Bill?
Not before next week. I am receiving representations from a number of organisations interested in the Bill and I am anxious to give them full consideration before taking the Committee Stage.
I presume that the Minister will take amendments up to the week-end?
Yes.
Is this Bill one of the Bills which must be passed before the dissolution?
I should hope so.
Is that all that can be said about it?
I am not quite sure to what extent the Bill meets with the approval of the Dáil in principle. There was a vote against the Second Reading, but I do not know if it was an intentional vote. If the Bill is not objectionable in principle, then it should not take a great deal of time to dispose of the various points that may arise in Committee.
If we are to pass No. 20, the Local Elections Bill, before the dissolution, when are we likely to see it?
The Deputy had better wait and see this Bill.
Is that not what I am asking, when we are likely to see the Bill? The Bill has been read a First Time and a date has been fixed for the Second Reading. Yet we cannot see the Bill and the Minister's only answer to me when I ask as to when we are likely to see it, is to make use of the trite British phrase, "wait and see".
So far as I am concerned it would be very desirable to pass this Bill before the Dáil dissolves.
Is it not proposed to interrupt Government business this evening to take Private Deputies' business?
May I suggest that it is desirable that time should be allocated to private Deputies in view of the large number of motions on the Order Paper?
In accordance with the normal practice Private Deputies' time is not allowed when finance business remains to be disposed of. We shall certainly endeavour to make good the time lost to private Deputies before the dissolution.