The House will recollect that a formal order was made last week for the printing and circulating of the draft of the new Standing Orders. I understand that these will be circulated to-morrow and the Motion will appear on the Order Paper for Wednesday, the 18th instant, that these Standing Orders be adopted as the Standing Orders of the Seanad. I suggest to the House that we should go into Committee on these Orders and take them seriatim, and that any amendment which Senators may desire to move shall be delivered in writing to the Clerk not later than Saturday, the 14th instant, no others being considered. Senators will realise that these Orders are the result of very careful work and that they have been closely examined by the Committee on Procedure, on which the different groups in the Seanad are represented. Does the House agree with that? Senators will have from to-morrow until the 14th instant to consider any amendments they desire to move to these Standing Orders. I would ask the House to agree that any Standing Powers to which amendments will not be moved will be adopted without debate.
Draft of New Standing Orders.
Cathaoirleach
What hours on Saturday should amendments be handed in?
Cathaoirleach
Not Saturday, but Saturday week, the 14th June. Amendments can be handed in up to 1.30 o'clock.
I wish to raise the point that you say that unless amendments are put in and are on the Order Paper to any particular Standing Order that that Order would be adopted?
Cathaoirleach
I would suggest that. It would be difficult otherwise, because every one of these Orders has got a great deal of consideration by the Committee, and if we were to consider every one of the new Orders we would never get done.
I think that is a matter of procedure. I am satisfied it would be better to take each Order as we take each section of a Bill and let it pass through and not to adopt it merely by the fact that no amendment has been proposed.
Cathaoirleach
Quite. Each Standing Order will be moved separately; they will be moved one by one.
That would be better.
Cathaoirleach
Unless an amendment has been moved to that particular Order I would suggest that the Order would be agreed to, because any other course would be difficult.
If any member of the Seanad wishes to exclude any particular Order it should be within his right to move to reject it. I entirely agree with you that no new amendments should be considered. But I would be sorry that any new Order would be pushed through if any Senator or any number of Senators were opposed to it. They should have a right to move its rejection.
Each Senator can vote against the adoption of any particular Order. Each Order will have to be separately put and each Order will be voted on.
Cathaoirleach
It will be exactly the same procedure as we adopt with a Bill in Committee. I will put each new Standing Order as in Committee. In such cases where no amendment to a section is on the Paper, that section is put from the Chair and the Senators can vote on it.
I appreciate the point that no amendment could be moved unless notice is given of such an amendment and that it is on the agenda, but I can see a possibility that a new Standing Order may be discussed. Each Standing Order could be objected to and, if necessary, rejected.
Cathaoirleach
The rejection of each of the Standing Orders can be moved. It will greatly simplify procedure if that is agreed to.