Motion on Trade Agreement, resumed.
Business of Dáil.
I want to raise the question of what proposals the Taoiseach has for resuming this debate after the adjournment this evening.
If there is any desire on the part of either Opposition Party to reach a conclusion and a vote on this discussion in this week, I am prepared to facilitate them either by agreeing to sit late tonight or to sit tomorrow and Friday. If it is to be a more protracted debate, then I think we must continue it in the normal session.
I suppose we will hardly resume tomorrow as it is a Church holiday. I suggest we resume on Friday and conclude the debate by sitting late.
If that is agreed.
That would not be acceptable to us. We have quite a number of speakers and we indicated before the debate that we wanted time for them.
We heard that Fine Gael had 23 speakers.
I suggest we sit late tonight and sit again on Friday.
The Taoiseach will recollect that Deputy Cosgrave wrote officially to him stating that we thought it would be more suitable for this debate to take place next week. We have the letter and I will read it to the Taoiseach if he wants it read. We suggested that this debate should take place on the 11th because we would have a non-interrupted week. Secondly, during the absence of Deputy L'Estrange, our Chief Whip, in the country, I myself telephoned the Parliamentary Secretary's Office and informed that Office that we considered that this debate was of such importance that there should be no restriction on it.
That is not my understanding of the position. My understanding——
If the Taoiseach will excuse me for a moment, I am telling the Taoiseach about something of which I have personal knowledge. If the Taoiseach's methods of communication between himself and his Parliamentary Secretary have broken down, it is not our fault.
My understanding of the position was that it had been agreed originally that this debate should be held next week but it was brought forward at the request of the Opposition Parties.
That is untrue.
I think both Opposition Parties suggested in writing—I wrote the letter for my Party—that the debate should be held on the 11th but the Taoiseach's Parliamentary Secretary's Office suggested that we should agree to the 4th. We said that we had no objection. Subsequently the Parliamentary Secretary's Office said that tomorrow was a Church holiday and I said I could not guarantee that the debate would end on Wednesday and that we would have to sit the following week.
I am sure that by unanimous agreement we can sit on a Church holiday without offending anybody's religious feelings.
We asked for the 11th January and we did not move from the 11th until we were assured by the Taoiseach's Office that both the Taoiseach and Deputy Cosgrave preferred the 4th.
There was some misunderstanding.
Then we will sit at 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.
Better say 11 o'clock tomorrow.
If that entails a guarantee that the debate will finish on Friday, we are not prepared to agree to any closure on the debate.
There is no question of a closure. We will sit until 10.30 tonight and meet at 11 o'clock tomorrow.
Yesterday evening arrangements were made to conclude at 5 o'clock and arrangements for speakers and so on were upset because of that. This matter should have been raised when the arrangements were being made last night, not now.
It is not beyond the resources of the Deputy to summon his troops and talk to them.
They are around all right.
10.30 p.m. this evening and resume at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
Until what time tomorrow?
10.30 p.m.
And resume on Friday, if the debate has not concluded.