Vol. 181 No. 11
I move:—
That leave be given by the Dáil to introduce the following Supplementary Estimate for the service of the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1961, namely:—
Vote No.—
49 (Posts and Telegraphs).
If the House would agree I should like to take this Estimate along with Vote 50. I know the Supplementary Estimate has not been circulated yet, but I should like if the Opposition would consider taking both it and Vote 50 together.
Does the Supplementary Estimate refer to Vote 50?
Yes.
It does not seem to be reasonable to ask the House to consider a Supplementary Estimate which has not yet been circulated. If it is circulated today we could take it early next week, but it seems to me to be a breach of Parliamentary procedure to ask the House to take a measure that has not yet been circulated.
It will be circulated this evening and I shall have it delivered to Opposition Deputies later. I should be very glad if the other side of the House would agree to take it together with Vote 50 which deals with Radio Éireann as at present constituted. The Supplementary Estimate deals with money which will be voted to the new Authority, when established.
It does not seem to me to be a correct procedure to ask the House to consider a Supplementary Estimate that has not been circulated.
It would be more convenient to take it with the Vote and I should imagine that Deputies would be willing to co-operate from that point of view.
I want to ask the Minister to circulate the Supplementary Estimate to Deputies generally in the ordinary course but not to ask the House to consider the matter at this stage, even from the point of view of convenience.
Would the Minister say if the Supplementary Estimate relates to T.V. activities?
It does not provide money for T.V. itself but as the new Authority is charged with the responsibility for providing a T.V. service it has a relation to television. As I already announced, it is proposed to have the Authority established on June 1st and that means that, with the approval of the House, the Supplementary Estimate should be passed before that date.
If at all possible we shall be only too pleased to meet the Minister on this matter.
