It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 1,2,3,4 and 5.
Order of Business.
Might I ask when time will be given to discuss motions Nos. 29 and 30? Motion No. 29 asks that the Government take steps to increase grants in respect of new houses and for reconstructing houses. This is a matter that is very much in the news at present. Motion No. 30 asks that Seanad Éireann notes the reduction in road grants to local authorities this year. In my constituency, the rural improvement scheme has been discontinued and there has been the reduction in the road grants. Consequently, these two motions are very important and very urgent. I ask that time be provided immediately to have a full and frank discussion on this situation, a situation which will only add to the number of people unemployed.
Without giving rise to too much turbulence in the matter, I should like if the Leader of the House would give us some indication of an ordered regime in regard to motions. I know he started out with full intent in this matter some time ago, but we seem to have got into a hopeless mess. There is a number of very topical motions on the Order Paper, particularly the one relating to housing grants. As we know, the State housing grants have been cut out altogether. The motion calls for an increase in these grants. That and a number of other motions on the Order Paper related to the current economic situation. Surely we should have some indication of the order in which these are to be taken rather than have a situation where they tend to lie there. They have been on the Order Paper now for six months at least.
I should like to ask when the text of the Juries Bill, 1975, which was introduced in this House last August will be available to Senators and when the Second Stage of this Bill will be taken. The present situation, which I think the Leader of the House knows in his special capacity, is giving rise to very real hardship for those awaiting trial in the Circuit Court and higher courts and also creating hardship for those who have brought actions for damages in the High Court and who are having these actions adjourned. I would ask the Leader of the House to treat this as a matter of urgency and to ensure that the Bill is brought before us as soon as possible.
Secondly, I should like to associate myself with the remarks of the Leader of the Fianna Fáil Party here and urge the Leader of the House to bring forward a coherent system of dealing with the various motions on the Order Paper. I would draw the attention of Senators to what happens to be in order of priority the last motion on the Order Paper, motion No. 42. This concerns a very urgent matter and a matter that ought to be of vital concern to the Members of this House. It is the motion:
That Seanad Éireann notes the urgent nature of the recommendations made in the Interim Report of the Task Force on Child Care Services which was submitted to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health in September, 1975.
The whole tenor of this report is to draw attention to the urgent nature of the recommendation but it has not received any notice or any attention in either House of the Oireachtas. The Seanad would be performing a very valuable and useful service if it gave time to discuss the immediate recognition of the homework that goes into a report like this and to a consideration of the urgent nature of its proposals. We ought to lend our support to the immediate action which is called for in that Task Force Report. I should like to join with the other Senators and ask the Leader of the House for a statement on the present policy in relation to motions. This matter was raised in December before the House adjourned for the Christmas Recess and it was then to be considered by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. I ask the Leader of the House to give us some indication of what is the present situation and how many motions this House will be taking during the next few months.
In view of your decision, Sir, to disallow the motion on the adjournment in the matter of the decision of the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries to re-allocate all the funds for veterinary education in the State to University College, Dublin, I would like to point out that this decision was announced on 30th December, 1975, to be put into effect on the first day of January, 1976. This entirely precluded any discussion of such a very important decision. As this matter is one which is supposed to be part of a composite whole, which is supposed to be dealt with by a White Paper on re-organisation of higher education, the manner in which this decision has been made and the fact that there was no opportunity for public discussion of it either here or anywhere else because of the infinitesimal——
The Senator's preamble is becoming a little long.
I should like to ask the Leader of the House if he could urgently arrange for a debate in the House on this issue. Because it is a small issue I do not foresee that it would require the full six hours of debate which a motion usually takes. It could be given three hours; that would be adequate, in my view. If the Leader of the House could agree to this, he might help to allay the fears arising in people's minds about the effects this decision will have on inter-university relations and on the relations between the universities and the State. I would ask the Leader of the House to see his way to arrange for a brief debate on this very specific issue on the next sitting day or close to that.
I will inquire about the Juries Bill. I have not got information at the moment. Regarding the general question of motions, Senator Lenihan represented my view fairly correctly in what he said. I am certainly anxious to have the whole question of motions put on a more realistic basis. Senator Lenihan may not be au fait with the efforts that have been made since we discussed this matter previously. He was unable to be present at the meetings of the Committee on Procedures and Privileges which discussed the matter. I think we went some distance there. Both Senator Lenihan's group and the Independents and Senators supporting the Government will have an opportunity, possibly as early as next week, of considering a draft resolution governing the question of motions. When we see that we will all require an opportunity of considering it before we can decide whether it should be moved and, if it is moved, whether it is adopted in the House. But there is definite activity in connection with it.
Order of Business agreed to.