It is proposed to take No. 10—Vote 41. Private Members' Business will be taken from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. when the discussion will be resumed on No. 26 on the Order Paper.
Order of Business.
Arising out of the Order of Business, I should like to know if the Taoiseach proposes to consult the House regarding the duration of this debate. We anticipate that he will be putting forward certain proposals to remedy the immediate situation that exists. Our view is that we would be entitled to expect that this Supplementary Estimate would be made available to him sometime tomorrow. Has any discussion taken place?
I am not aware of this. As far as I am concerned, I will fall in with any arrangement the Whips may make.
I take it that the Taoiseach would prefer to have this Supplementary Estimate——
Disposed of quickly.
——disposed of before the House rises in mid-week and——
Yes, certainly.
——in view of the situation I should like him to know that as far as we are concerned we shall be glad to enter into discussions to arrange that that may be done. I have not consulted the Leader of the Labour Party.
I am informed that there were discussions yesterday.
They did not reach finality.
They did not reach any agreement.
We can try again.
I am told there were discussions.
I should like to make it clear that we did not hold up the discussions.
The Chief Whip of Fine Gael and I had some discussions yesterday, prior to meeting the Labour Whip, and he intimated to me that, until he knew what the proposals were, he would not enter an agreement.
For today.
For today.
But I had indicated earlier that I thought the Government were entitled to get the proposals by tomorrow.
I was hoping to have it finished today.
The Parliamentary Secretary did not go the right way about it. However, now we know our minds.