It is proposed to take business as on the Order Paper, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7; in No. 7, Votes 50 to 36, as on the Order Paper. If not already reached it is proposed to interrupt business at 7 p.m. to take No. 7. It is proposed that Public Business be not interrupted to take Private Business.
Order of Business.
On the Order of Business, I should like to make a personal explanation, with your permission, in connection with a statement or statements made here yesterday on a question in connection with Ballyfermot Sub-Post Office.
I cannot allow that matter to be opened now. The Deputy did not notify me. The usual course is to inform the Chair when a Deputy wants to make a personal explanation. I have not got any notice. I would need to know what the personal explanation is and what it is about. I cannot allow a matter discussed yesterday to be reopened now.
I do not intend to reopen it, but I conveyed to you before the House sat that it was my wish, if you would allow me, to make a personal explanation with regard to it.
The Deputy saw me in respect of a certain statement that was made yesterday.
Order! The Deputy is on his feet.
Whom is the Minister trying to put in order?
Deputy McQuillan. He must have manners.
Deputy McQuillan is seeking to reopen a matter which was referred to yesterday. I told him that I had no machinery by which that matter could be reopened, but I was prepared to consider the matter and see if there was any machinery that I was not aware of. I can tell him now that there is not any machinery by which that matter can be reopened and the matter must now be considered closed.
Would you, Sir, set up a Committee of this House to ascertain the accuracy or otherwise of the Minister's statement yesterday? At all events, I assert that the accuracy of my statement will be proved beyond all doubt.
The Dáil is not a court to decide the accuracy or otherwise of statements made by different members of the House.
Then I can only raise the matter outside the House and challenge the Minister to go further.
In regard to item No. 6 on the Order Paper, the Committee Stage of the Finance Bill, the Minister has tabled as part of the Committee Stage a whole part of an Act. This was not adverted to in the Budget speech or in the Second Reading speech. In view of that, may I suggest that there ought to be agreement, before we go to the Committee Stage at such short notice—it has only been given to us to-day—that that part, the sections and the schedule, should be recommitted on the Report Stage, in order to enable us to deal with these new sections at such, short notice? It is a frightfully complicated method of dealing with the situation— it is a frightfully complicated situation —and obviously we on this side of the House will need to have some expert advice on it. We could not possibly take expert advice in the time.
Yes. There will be recommittal on the Report Stage.