The Constitution (Removal of Oath) Act, 1933 made certain amendments on the Constitution, and the purpose of this Bill is to make in the electoral law certain necessary amendments and repeals without which the electoral law would be inconsistent with the Constitution as now amended. With regard to the deposit of £100 made by a candidate as part of his nomination at a Dáil election, if he is elected he has proved definitely that he was a bona fide candidate, and in such a case the deposit will be returned as soon as practicable after the result of the election is declared. As there is no longer an oath prescribed by the Constitution, taking the oath is not a condition precedent to a candidate taking his seat in the House, and the reservation to that effect is now removed from the Electoral Act. It is not necessary to make any further provisions in the electoral law as regards taking a seat in the House, since each House of the Oireachtas has power under Article 20 of the Constitution to make its own Standing Orders. For the orderly transaction of business each member must comply with Standing Orders, and taking a seat in the House is part of the ordinary business. The proposed alteration in the terms of Sections 51 and 57 of the Electoral Act, 1923, is merely declaratory of the powers of the House, and the Committee on Procedure will no doubt consider whether the existing Standing Orders require any alteration. Question—“That the Bill be now read a Second Time”—put and agreed to.
