It is proposed to take the business as on the Order Paper—items 1— Fifteenth Report of the Committee of Selection and, 2, Estimates for Public Services, Votes 41 to 69 inclusive. If the business is concluded to-day the Dáil will adjourn until Wednesday next, the 14th of April.
Order of Business.
On the order of business, I want to protest against a practice which is growing up in this House. The President of the Executive Council has not sat in this House in debate or in general business for more than three minutes on any day in the last 12 months. His duty for calling the order of business has been consistently delegated by him to the Vice-President. I suppose that is presumably in accordance with the rules of order, but I want to say that a well-established principle of this House was that the President held himself in readiness until the end of question time, that he then called the business, and afterwards he reasonably and frequently attended in the House and showed the House that he did not ignore it.
Is this in order?
Deputy Dillon was not here in 1929, 1930 or 1931, and he cannot tell us anything about a well-established principle.
I am making a submission and the insolence of the Minister for Industry and Commerce will not deter me from doing so. I am making my protest. The President has consistently treated this House with contempt in the last 12 months and I think it ought to stop.
The Deputy thinks——
I am making a submission.
If Deputy Dillon was fit to blacken the President's boots he could then talk on that matter.
An observation fell from the lips of the Minister for Finance that I wish categorically to deny and to state that it is substantially untrue. It is only the Minister's stupidity or obstinacy that could be responsible for making any such statement.
Business ordered accordingly.