Before the Order of Business, Sir, may I call your attention to the reply to Nos. 52, 53 and 54 given by the Minister for Finance. It contained a considerable number of figures but apparently the Tánaiste was too tongue-tied to give three figures in reply to No. 19.
Order of Business.
This must be a mental case. Somebody should look after the Deputy's health.
A clear indication of a psychopathic condition is inability to give figures.
Would the Ceann Comhairle say if he has come to a decision on my request to have the subject matters of questions Nos. 2 and 22 of the 31st October raised on the adjournment?
I will communicate with the Deputy in the course of the afternoon.
Business, as set out in the Order Paper, will be taken as follows: Nos. 1, 5, 6, 3, 7 and 8. Public Business will be interrupted at 9 p.m. to take Private Members' business.
I would like to ask the Taoiseach would there be any possibility of postponing No. 6? We only got the Bill during the week. The Minister for Justice kindly agreed to give us a memorandum on the matter to-day but I would like if we would have further time to consider that Bill. Would it be possible to postpone it to next week?
I do not know whether Deputy Boland would prefer to have the Minister's explanation in his speech and any supplementary information as may be given by the Attorney-General before he would wish to have a further adjournment. It might assist him to have that explanation and statement from the Minister.
Mr. de Valera
This is partly a consolidation Bill and there are some amendments. I thought there had been some arrangement made when we had Bills of consolidation that time would be given to examine——
This is not a consolidation Bill.
Mr. de Valera
It is.
On the contrary, it is a law reform Bill, which is quite a different matter.
Mr. de Valera
It is not named a consolidation Bill but in fact even the speech will indicate, I think, that it is very largely a consolidation Bill.
Not at all. It is not a consolidation Bill. A consolidation Bill would be one which would introduce no real new principles. In fact, this Bill does introduce a number of new principles. It is not a consolidation Bill at all.
Is the Taoiseach aware that the long title reads: "A Bill to consolidate with amendments." That is the long title of the Bill and yet the Taoiseach denies it is a consolidation measure.
Deputy MacEntee does not know what he is talking about.
He never did, of course.
A consolidation Bill is a Bill that merely brings together into one Bill the existing law. In addition to the existing law this Bill brings in new principles.
Mr. de Valera
That is precisely the point. We wanted to know what the existing law is so as to be quite clear about the amendments.
The Deputy can get it from the Minister in the course of the speech.
Is it not the practice when a Bill of this importance is introduced in this House to circulate with it an explanatory memorandum for the information of Deputies? It is quite clear from what the Taoiseach has said here that there is an attempt being made to smuggle in new principles——
Nonsense.
——under the cover of the consolidation of existing principles of the law.
Get a doctor.
I do not think it is unreasonable to ask to have it postponed until next week. I do not want to cause any difficulty but I think it is a reasonable request. There are new and important principles in this Bill which we would like to have time to consider.
We had arranged to go on to-day and to-morrow on the assumption that this Bill would be taken and we got no such request from Deputy Boland until 1 o'clock to-day.
I admit that but at the same time I think there are questions which require consideration.
It is not a fact that this Bill represents the second thoughts of the Government?
The Deputy may not discuss the Bill at this stage.
I want to meet Deputy Boland's point of view. Deputy MacEntee does not seem to have a point of view except for making noise. I should like to meet Deputy Boland's point of view. Perhaps it would suit him to hear the Minister's speech and then adjourn the debate?
Yes, that would be quite satisfactory.
Possibly the Attorney-General may have a few words to say. If that would suit Deputy Boland, I am prepared to postpone the debate to next week.
That would satisfy me.