Deputy Clinton is not available this afternoon and he has asked me to take the Chair.
Arising out of the minutes, in relation to the question of debates in the Houses of the Oireachtas, the new arrangement in the Seanad is now in operation and the position in the Dáil is best explained by reading a letter received from the Ceann Comhairle, dated 10 May, 1978 :
Dear Deputy Clinton,
I refer to your letter of 8th February, 1978 relating to the making of arrangements for debating reports of the Joint Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities in the House.
The Dáil Committee on Procedure and Privileges had the Joint Committee's request under consideration at its meeting on Wednesday last and it agreed to the moving of a motion in the Dáil in the terms of the draft order which accompanied your letter. The Committee, however, felt that the new arrangement should be tried out on an experimental basis and it decided to limit its operation to 31st December, 1978.
I am informed that the Government Whip's office has now intimated that the motion agreed to by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges gives rise to certain difficulties of a technical nature for that office and the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach has given notice that he wishes to afford the Committee an opportunity to discuss these difficulties at the next meeting. I understand that it would be his intention that a motion will be moved in the Dáil with regard to the new arrangement as soon as possible after that meeting.
Yours sincerely,
Joseph Brennan,
Ceann Comhairle.
I understand that the Dáil Committee on Procedure and Privileges is to deal with this matter at its meeting this afternoon.
In regard to the pairing arrangements, a suggestion was made that members of the Committee should be paired while attending these meetings. The Chairman, as he promised, raised the matter with the Whips in the Dáil but the suggestion proved completely unacceptable.
