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Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 31 Jul 1935

Vol. 20 No. 11

Business of the Seanad.

Pursuant to the understanding arrived at last week, I propose to ask the House to order the Committee Stages of Nos. 2 to 10, inclusive, on to-day's Order Paper for to-morrow, as and when the Second Stage is completed to-day. If Senators desire to offer any amendments to any of these Bills I am prepared to take them at short notice, but they should be handed in before the adjournment of the House this evening, in order that they may appear on the printed Order Paper for to-morrow.

It is desirable that we should finish the business on to-day's Order Paper before we adjourn this evening, but I suggest that we wait for some time to see what progress we make before we discuss the possibility of a late sitting. Is that agreed?

There are two or three very important Bills and I cannot see that we will have sufficient time to consider amendments to these Bills at such short notice. I think, if we cannot meet next week, that we should adjourn the Committee Stages of these Bills until this day fortnight. They are very important Bills from the point of view of the farmers. The farmer representatives are prepared to come here. The Labour Party may be anxious to go to the seaside and others may be anxious to go to the moors. At all events, the farmer Senators have quite as much as they can do in attending to the harvest and still they are prepared to come here. I think, Sir, you ought to stick to the Standing Orders and adjourn the Committee Stages of at least two of these Bills for a fortnight.

Which Bills?

The Slaughter of Cattle and Sheep (Amendment) Bill and the Rates on Agricultural Land (Relief) Bill.

I am altogether in the hands of the House. I thought the House desired that we should act as I have suggested. I did not think you, Senator, objected to that course.

On the last day, when I mentioned this matter, you, Sir, said you would consider it.

Is it in order to take the Second Stage and then almost immediately to go on to the Committee Stage? I think the consideration raised by Senator Counihan should be gone into when we have taken the Second Stage.

We understood that the House was to meet next week.

Oh, no. It was definitely decided that we should not.

At any rate it did not seem likely that we were to take the Committee Stage in the case of two of these Bills this week. Two of the Bills on the Order Paper raise many contentious principles. Apart altogether from the established principle, it is unwise to take the Committee Stage at such short notice. If a Senator has made other arrangements he does not expect to come here next week but it would be much better to decide now that this House is not to meet next week and so the Committee Stages of these Bills could be adjourned until the following week. Senators may have their arrangements made for next week.

I think it would be better to adopt Senator Douglas's suggestion, that when the Second Stage has been passed then we can discuss whether or not it would be better to adjourn for a fortnight and we can let the House take a decision on these contentious Bills as to whether or not we should take the Committee Stages to-morrow or adjourn for a fortnight. I think that is the better course.

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