: It is proposed to take Nos. 1, 4 (resumed) 5, 2 and 6 (resumed). By agreement the following arrangements will apply to business today: (a) the Minister for Justice will be called on to conclude the Second Stage debate on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1982, at 11.30 a.m.; (b) all stages of the Irish Telecommunications Investments Limited (Amendment) Bill, 1983, will be concluded by 5 p.m. today; (c) all stages of the Industrial Credit (Amendment) Bill, 1983, which is being initiated today will be concluded by 5 p.m. today; and (d) at the conclusion of business today the House will rise until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 19 April 1983.
Order of Business .
: Is the Order of Business agreed?
Deputies
: Yes.
: Might the Chair ask the Whips to draw to the attention of any Members of their party who are not here the arrangements for today's business? That would help the smooth running of the House.
: I would like the Chair to take note of a position that has arisen so far as we are concerned in agreeing to the Order of Business in the morning, that is, the situation that arose yesterday on the Social Welfare Bill. In a co-operative way we agreed to take the Committee and remaining Stages yesterday and our attempts to deal with the Bill in an adequate way on Committee Stage were completely frustrated by the Minister for Social Welfare who talked out the early sections of the Bill so that we would not get an opportunity of voting on the sections to which we were particularly opposed. If the Government want to secure our agreement to this type of arrangement — and on today's Order of Business there are two items where we are facilitating the Government very specifically — we will have to insist that the agreement be honoured in the spirit as well as in the letter.
As we will be taking the vote on the Second Stage of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution Bill at 12 o'clock today, would it be possible for the Taoiseach now to give us the wording the Government propose to substitute for our wording? There are statements in this morning's daily papers to the effect that——
: The question of an amendment does not formally arise until the Second Stage has been concluded and the amendment is submitted to the Chair.
: I am perfectly entitled to ask the Taoiseach, in view of the fact that the Second Stage will be concluded this morning, if he can give us now the wording the Government propose to substitute for the wording in the Bill.
: My party held discussions last night and reached a certain conclusion. We felt it inappropriate to give details of the wording of the amendment to the press because we thought they should be given first in this House. Nonetheless, the press this morning — it was probably inevitable — have accounts of the wording which, as I have seen them, are correct. I would be happy to give the Leader of the Opposition confirmation of the exact wording immediately on the conclusion of the Order of Business to facilitate him. As I said, it was our wish to give the wording in this House rather than otherwise.
: Before the Order of Business was agreed I wished to ask that Item No. 4 be not taken. It is proposed in today's Order of Business that Item No. 4 be taken and that the Minister conclude at 11.30 a.m. In view of developments I consider that to be entirely inappropriate——
: Arrangements for today's Order of Business have been agreed.
: I was on my feet and sought to raise this matter before you asked for agreement on it, and you then called on the leader of the Fianna Fáil Party.
: No. Before that happened I had got agreement to the Order of Business and then I called on the Leader of the Opposition. I remind Deputies that I will be calling on the Minister to conclude at 11.30 a.m. and the more time taken up now the less time there will be for debate.
: I wanted to raise the matter——
: Every minute that passes is a minute of my time wasted. I respectfully ask both sides of the House to ensure that I am allowed to contribute to this debate. I was told I would start at 10.30 a.m. It is now 10.40 a.m. and that means ten minutes of my time is gone.
: I am calling on Deputy Morley.
: I am sorry, but I must pursue this matter. The Order of Business has been arranged without reference to anyone in this House other than the Whips of the two main parties. I want to make this point: we have an amendment down to the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill to which the Leader of The Workers' Party, Deputy Mac Giolla, has been unable to speak up to now. It is entirely improper that an amendment and debate of this kind should be concluded at 11.30 a.m. today without giving us an opportunity to express our opinions on the matter.
: The Order of Business is a matter for the Government and the business was ordered by the Taoiseach. How that business is to be taken is a matter for the House. If any special arrangements were made they have been agreed to and I am now moving to the next item.
: I am proposing that they be changed.
: The Minister to move the next item.
: On a point of order——
: If it is a point of order.
: A number of times we have raised the matter of arrangements that have been made here and we have been told that we can raise it on the Order of Business and that that is the place to have them changed.
: I want to be reasonable with you, Deputy De Rossa, and I do not want to take advantage of you because you are a Member of a small Party. The Order of Business has been agreed for today and I am passing to item No. 1.
: A Cheann Comhairle——
: I am sorry, Deputy Mac Giolla, you will have to resume your seat.
: It would be appropriate to find out when I can get in on this amendment because we have tabled an amendment on the Second Stage——
: All I can tell the Deputy is that the longer he talks now the less chance he has of getting in.
: Why the sudden rush? I must protest. I must ask the Government to change their minds on this issue. This is one of the most controversial Bills that has ever come before this House and I would appeal to the Taoiseach to alter the Order of Business to allow everybody to have their say.
: Deputy Mac Giolla will please resume his seat.
The Minister to move item No. 1.