I move the adjournment now until 4 o'clock. I take it we will not meet until 4.15.
INTOXICATING LIQUOR BILL. - THE ADJOURNMENT.
Could the President say 4.30?
Very good. The Land Bill will be the only business to be dealt with, unless something very exceptional arises in the meantime. There were some questions to be raised on the adjournment. I have had notice of two and I take it that Deputy Magennis was to raise a third.
No. I was going to ask permission to remind the President, as Minister for Finance, that at the close of the debate on the Estimates for Intermediate Education the Minister for Education was good enough to declare his sympathy with the claims made on behalf of the secondary teachers and it was understood that there would be a Supplementary Grant, or something in that nature, to increase the amount for the remuneration of secondary lay teachers. I want to know if the Minister for Finance intends to make any statement with regard to that, before the Session is completely closed.
No; it was not my intention to make any statement with regard to it. I should say that many representations have been made to me by the Minister for Education, by the Ceann Comhairle, by Deputy Magennis, Deputy O'Connell and others, regarding the necessity for increasing the sum which we intended to devote to this purpose. I think that a case has been made. I am perfectly satisfied, personally, that it is a good case. I had intended to introduce the necessary Resolutions to provide for a larger distribution of funds in respect of that service, but all that has occurred in the last few days, the pressure of business, and so on, has prevented me. I should say that the Executive Council is at one with me as regards this matter. I cannot give any guarantee that they are going to return. I do give this guarantee, that we will recognise and hand on to the people who come after us, that we will regard this as an obligation on the part of the succeeding Ministry to discharge. The sum involved is something like £30,000 or £40,000. It is a very considerable sum, having regard to the present condition of our finances, but we realise the case that has been made, the urgency and justice of the demand, and so far as we are concerned we can only say that if the time permitted we would have discharged it. I do not think that it is reasonable to ask us to do more than that. If time did permit I would have undertaken that during our term of office.
We are exceptionally grateful for the Minister's undertaking.