It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 4 and 9, and in No. 9, Votes 28 and 49, 66, 8, 9 and 10. Private Deputies' business will be taken at 9 p.m.
Order of Business.
On the Order of Business may I inquire of the Tánaiste whether he intends to allow the Motion No. 19 on the Private Members' List standing in my name and dealing with the expansion of the whiskey industry to be taken in conjunction with the Estimate for Industry and Commerce, because I would like to raise that when the Estimate comes up to-morrow or Friday? I already gave my reasons some months ago in this House as regards the necessity for expanding the industry.
The Deputy must not make the case now.
It is more a matter for the Ceann Comhairle.
I just wanted to give the reasons and to ask the Minister if he will accept the suggestion.
When is it proposed to circulate the Factories Bill, No. 10 on the Order Paper, and when is it proposed to take the Second Stage of the Intestate Estates Bill, No. 2?
The Factories Bill, this week or early next week; the Intestates Bill will be later in the session.
We were told in the last session that it would be taken before the session ended.
A lot of plans regarding Government business went astray in the last session.
Will it be taken before Christmas?
I hope so, and I hope we will have co-operation from the Deputy in making time available for it.
Would the Tánaiste tell me when his colleagues the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Local Government propose to redeem an undertaking they gave me when we were discussing two Private Bills regarding the limitations of actions that the Government itself proposes to submit legislation and asked me to suspend debates on the motions?
If the Deputy will repeat this question to-morrow I will endeavour to reply.
May I ask the Minister to reply to my question?
I have said that it is more of a matter for the Chair and I have no objection to any arrangement that does not involve any more time.
There is a precedent for this as motions have been taken in the past in conjunction with Estimates even though separate votes were taken. I am simply asking for something that has already been done in this House. The Taoiseach himself has asked for suggestions as to means of relieving unemployment and I am offering that contribution.
Perhaps the Deputy will let me put this point. Yesterday the Minister asked that we would facilitate him by taking the Second Stage of the Supplies and Services Bill in conjunction with the Estimate and that seemed to be reasonable. We said: All right we would do that. We will take Supplies and Services Bill in conjunction with the Estimate so asnot to duplicate discussion. We subsequently asked that the Government would take Item 22 on the Order Paper in conjunction with the Social Welfare debate and Deputy McQuillan simply seeks to do the same.
The Ceann Comhairle is perfectly capable of apprehending that.
He would apprehend it much more easily if the Minister for Finance did not come into it.
May I put Deputy McQuillan's suggestion to the Government? It is a reasonable proposition.
I have not raised any objection to the suggestion at all. I have said it is more a matter for the Chair and, as far as I am concerned, if it does not mean any more time is to be given I will not object.
I was not suggesting——
Will Deputy Norton allow me?
Certainly.
It is a matter of relevance as to the Estimate that will be before the House. If the matter is relevant it can be raised.
Surely the matter of whiskey is relevant on Industry and Commerce?
I will give no decision in advance, but if it is relevant it can be raised.
I suppose we may raise the bottle on it, too.
May I at once exonerate the Tánaiste from any suggestion that he was opposed to meeting the reasonable suggestion submitted? My fear was of the rather waspish and destructive tactics of the Minister sitting on his left-hand side.
If the matter is relevant to the Estimate being discussed,it can be raised whether there is a motion or not.
Both the whiskey and the bottle.
I do not want to suggest that the Minister is trying to prevent me raising the matter; but I am not very familiar with procedure.
Well you are getting very long in the tooth now.
If the matter is not relevant the Minister cannot make it relevant. If it is, it can be raised.
In other words the Minister has no objection?
I have no objection. It is a matter for the Chair to decide whether it can be done or not.
On the Order of Business, am I to take it that on Private Members' business at 9 o'clock the Valuation Bill will come first?
The Report Stage of the Friendly Societies (Amendment) Bill comes first.