It is proposed to take Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in that order, to suspend the sitting from 5.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. and to take No. 4 at 6.30 p.m. until 8 o'clock.
Order of Business.
Is that agreed?
On the Order of Business, I would like to ask the Leader of the House, in view of the fact that this House quite rightly passed a motion last week condemning the execution in South Africa, whether the Government and the Opposition and the House which unanimously passed that motion would consider giving time in the very near future to No. 23 on the Order of Business, which is the abolition of capital punishment. It is somewhat hypocritical for the Government to refuse to give time to the abolition of capital punishment in this country when we unanimously condemn capital punishment being carried out in another country. Maybe in the light of what happened, the Government and the Opposition and the Whips could get together and give time for this Bill to go through which has been on the Order Paper for a long time and which is conspicuously being avoided and ignored by the Government.
Could the Leader of the House give some information as to what is happening in the case of Sir John Hermon, Chief Constable of the RUC and his utterances in America, especially in relation to the Anglo-Irish talks?
That is not on the Order of Business.
Would the Leader of the House tell us what facilities will be made available to the House to discuss the outcome of the Anglo-Irish talks?
That is not on the Order of Business.
Could the Leader say when we might be able to reach report No. 16 on the Multi-Fibre Arrangement which is a report from the Committee on Secondary Legislation and which could have a major bearing on the many textile companies in Ireland?
In regard to No. 23, I have already had discussions with the Minister for Justice on this point and I will take up the matter with him again. If there is any firm date for the discussion of this matter I will inform the House.
On the question about No. 16, on the Multi-Fibre Arrangement, the Senator will notice that there is a large number of motions on the Order Paper concerned with EC matters. It is my hope that when we have disposed of Item No. 3 we would immediately take up these matters and I have already discussed with the Minister for Foreign Affairs the question whether this could be commenced tomorrow week. Exactly what order we take them in would be a matter for agreement between the groups.
Order of Business agreed to.