Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 5 Nov 1924

Vol. 9 No. 9

DAIL IN COMMITTEE. - PUBLIC HOLIDAYS BILL, 1924—THIRD STAGE.

Sections 1 and 2 put and agreed to.

SECTION 3.

Every proclamation made by the Executive Council under this Act shall be published in theIris Oifigiúil and in such other ways as the Executive Council shall direct and such publication shall be made not later than the day before the day which is by such proclamation declared to to be a bank or other holiday.

Major COOPER

I beg to move:

"In line 39, after the word ‘than' to delete the words ‘the day' and substitute therefor the words ‘fourteen days.'"

I should like to inform the Dáil that this amendment was actually drafted before Deputy Good raised the matter on Second Reading. It occurred to both of us that the interval laid down in the Bill during which a public holiday could be declared was too short. Assuming a public holiday was to be on Saturday, and that notice of it was only given in "Iris Oifigiúil" and the Dublin daily papers on Friday, it is quite obvious that those papers would not reach country towns, like Sligo and Castlebar, until after mid-day on Friday. The shopkeepers and bankers would know there was a holiday, but the farmers and the country people would have no means of knowing. The day might be a market day, and they might come in to the town to sell their butter and eggs and find that the banks and shops were shut and that no business was being done. I think, therefore, that a longer period should be given. If the amendment were adopted we would be given a fortnight's notice of any bank holiday. These extrastatutory Bank Holidays will occur principally on the occasion of a General Election. I hope the Minister will always give us at least a fortnight's notice of a General Election. If that be the case, there will not be much inconvenience caused to anybody by accepting this amendment. The Minister intimated on Second Reading that he was prepared to accept this amendment, and I beg to move it.

MINISTER for JUSTICE (Mr. O'Higgins)

I wonder would the Deputy be satisfied with seven days' notice? The point which he makes on the Bill as it stands is a just one, and I would be prepared to meet it. But it does occur to me that fourteen days is perhaps too much by way of notice and that seven days might be considered reasonable.

Major COOPER

The Deputy's amendment, as originally drafted, stated seven days. When the Minister offered to give Deputy Good fourteen days, I altered my amendment accordingly. I think seven days is probably sufficient. It will obviate the danger of people forgetting there is going to be a Bank Holiday. With the leave of the Dáil, I will alter the period to seven days in the amendment.

Amendment altered accordingly.

Amendment, as amended, put and agreed to.

Section 3, as amended, put and agreed to.

Sections 4 and 5, the Schedule and the Title agreed to, and ordered to stand part of the Bill.