Before we resume the discussion on the Estimates I suggest to the President and the Minister for Lands and Agriculture that the discussion on the Vote for the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture be postponed until to-morrow, if convenient. One of the members of our Party, who is very much interested in that Vote, is unavoidably absent owing to a bereavement in his family. Other members of our Party are also absent owing to the difficulty in getting here on Monday.
ORDER OF BUSINESS.
Mr. HOGAN
I am afraid it is a question of adhering to our programme.
Does the Deputy include all the Minister's Votes?
I am referring to this Vote in particular. I realise that we cannot skip all the Votes, but perhaps we might go on with that for the Land Commission.
Perhaps the Deputy is thinking that some members of his Party will be here a little later.
No; that is not possible.
The difficulty in altering our programme is that we calculated that the Minister for Lands and Agriculture would occupy the time of the Dáil for a couple of hours this afternoon, and that we would then take the Local Government Estimate. I take it that the objection to taking the Local Government Estimate would be much the same. A Deputy asked that that Vote would not be taken until he was present. My great difficulty is altering the programme without notice as there has been an arrangement with other Ministers.
If we sat later on Fridays we would probably have got through these Estimates by now.
Mr. HOGAN
If I had concluded the Vote for the Department of Lands and Agriculture I intended to ask the Dáil to take up consideration of the Vote in connection with sugar beet, as I have not my papers in connection with the Land Commission Vote at the moment.
Perhaps the Minister could take the sugar beet Vote now and go on with the other Vote later.
Mr. HOGAN
Very well.