Vol. 13 No. 9
I move:—
That the Standing Orders be suspended for the purpose of enabling the remaining stage of the Housing (Gaeltacht) Bill, 1929 to be taken to-day.
In view of the fact that we have now reached the end of the session and as no amendment has been made to this Bill, I suppose it only remains for us to pass it through all its stages.
The mover of this motion has stated that no amendment has been made to the Bill.
Are you seconding the motion, Senator?
No.
I second the motion.
We are now asked to take the remaining stage of this Bill to-day. I draw attention to the fact that County Clare contains two places called Kilmurry. One is in the Kildysart rural district and the other is in Kilrush rural district. The Schedule only contains one name of Kilmurry, whereas, in fact, there are two places called Kilmurry in these two rural districts. In the same county there are two places called Clooney, one in Ennistymon rural district and the other in Tulla rural district. But the Schedule only contains one Clooney. I drew attention to this fact before and thought the Minister would have seen right to declare, by means of an amendment, which Clooney and which Kilmurry he wanted inserted in the Bill. Nothing of the kind has happened, so that if the Bill passes in its present form the people of these two districts will not know where they are.
Is the Senator speaking to the motion for the suspension of Standing Orders?
I am, because if the Bill passes to-day it will be impossible for us to make any amendment.
On the Fifth Stage of a Bill the only amendment that can be made is a verbal one or the correction of a grammatical error. A reasoned amendment cannot be moved on the Fifth Stage of a Bill.
Then I think we should refer the Bill back.
That cannot be done on the Fifth Stage.
Surely it is possible to make a correction of this kind by means of a verbal amendment. There are two Kilmurrys in the Co. Clare. One is known as Kilmurry MacMahon and the other as Kilmurry Ibricane.
We are on the motion now for the taking of the Fifth Stage of the Bill.
We are not. We are on the motion for the suspension of Standing Orders.
Yes. The motion before the House is that the Standing Orders be suspended for the taking of the remaining stage of the Bill.
And my remarks are directed against that motion.
As I have already stated, the only amendments that can be made to a Bill on the Fifth Stage are purely verbal amendments or an amendment to correct a grammatical error.
I submit that the amendments suggested are purely verbal amendments.
I am the person to decide that. I do not think that an amendment which would alter the Schedule and the whole character of the Bill could be described as a verbal amendment.
Surely that is not what is intended. All that is intended is to distinguish between the two Kilmurrys. With great respect I think that is only a verbal amendment.
It is a correction rather than an amendment.
It would require a great deal to persuade me that the alteration of a Schedule which has been carefully prepared, carefully criticised and analysed, and turned upside down and inside out, was only a verbal amendment, or that any further alteration of it was necessary. It would require a great deal of argument to convince me of that. The question now before the House is, that Standing Orders be suspended for the taking of the remaining stage of the Bill.
Senators may have to resist this motion if the Bill is in the confused condition described.
