The next business is the election of a Committee to make recommendations as to Ministers who shall not be members of the Executive Council, in accordance with Article 55 of the Constitution. The practice has been that Deputies get their ballot papers from the Clerk at the table and that the Dáil adjourns for an hour for the purpose of carrying out the election. The ballot box will be on the Clerk's table. It was arranged to have the election between 3 and 4 o'clock, but we did not take account of questions, so the Dáil can adjourn until 4 or 4.30, as Deputies think fit.
QUESTIONS ON THE ADJOURNMENT. - ELECTION OF COMMITTEE.
[To make recommendations as to Ministers who shall not be members of the Executive Council, in accordance with Article 55 of the Constitution.]
DEPUTIES
Four o'clock.
Is four o'clock sufficient then?
Had we better not wait until we know how long the distribution of papers will take? If it takes ten minutes that means that there will be only twenty minutes for consultation as to how the papers should be marked.
Perhaps we had better adjourn until 4.15.
I beg to move the adjournment until 4.15.
Agreed.
Deputies will get their papers from the Clerk and will put the papers into the box provided for them before 4.15. The votes will then be counted and the result announced before the Dáil rises.
The Dáil adjourned at 3.30 until 4.15 p.m.
The Dáil resumed at 4.15 p.m.
Ninetyseven ballot papers were issued.