Vol. 61 No. 12
I move:
That, pursuant to subsection 2º of section 2 of Article 25 of the Constitution, Seanad Éireann concur with the Government in a request to the President to sign the Tea (Purchase and Importation) (Amendment) Bill, 1966, on a date which is earlier than the fifth day after the date on which the Bill shall have been presented to him.
I should dearly like to know why the motion is necessary.
It is instant tea.
It may be because it is instant tea. Here we are dealing with amendments of the Customs Consolidation Act, and the Tea (Purchase and Importation) Act, 1958. This Bill was introduced in Dáil Éireann on 14th June, a fortnight ago. It surpasses my comprehension how a miserable, unimportant, and inconsequential Bill of this character requires a special resolution of the Oireachtas setting aside a provision of the Constitution. I spoke earlier this evening about the fuss and bother that now surrounds the current Finance Bill. We passed legislation earlier in the year for the purpose of enabling the Seanad to have more time for debating the Finance Bill and we decided we would not debate the Appropriation Bill until September. That does not change the situation a bit. We are here and we have not 21 days to debate the Finance Bill. We have this miserable Bill forced upon us and we are asked to concur that the President sign it earlier than the fifth day. It passes my comprehension that, with all the great paraphernalia of Government, the great Civil Service, the numerous officers who are at the beck and call of the Minister, the Government cannot bring in a Bill of this kind in time to enable the Dáil and Seanad to take it at their leisure, sip it, taste it and see how they like it and then, having done that, deliberate upon it. It beats me, and it reflects no credit on the efficiency of the Minister's Department that throws the Oireachtas into this kind of position. I would have thought we should get some explanation from the mover of the motion.
I am asking the Seanad for this early signing and I think Senators deserve an explanation. There has been quite a bit of consequential legislation on the Free Trade Area Agreement and whatever the Senator's opinion on the different parts is, there are quite a number of bits and pieces arising out of it. We have dealt with some and will be dealing with more. The fact is that all that started after Christmas with the signing of the Agreement and put quite a strain on the machinery available for the drafting of this legislation and the preparation before drafting. It is just an unusual pressure of work that has arisen out of the Agreement made before Christmas. All these consequential enactments came along together and put pressure on our resources, which normally would not have been put on them.
Is this the only Bill so far consequential on the Free Trade Agreement?
We had some quota ones, too, the Senator will remember.
They have not come before us yet.
I introduced this Bill in Dáil Éireann before the 15th June but the Dáil was not able to take it until the 28th. That is why we are asking the Seanad to deal with it this evening on this motion.
I must say that it still beats me.
