It is proposed to take business as on the Order Paper, in the following order: Items Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2, and 7. It is also proposed, if the House agrees, to take the First Stage of the Mental Treatment Bill, 1944. Private Deputies' Business will be taken to-day, if and when the business as ordered is completed.
Order of Business.
Is it proposed to sit to-morrow?
If the business of the House as ordered is concluded to-day, it is not.
Do you propose to sit next week?
No.
Would it not be better if the Minister could see his way to arrange for the reassembly of the Dáil on Tuesdays? There are no trains to-morrow, which is a hardship. I suggest that it is very unwise to reassemble on Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays.
We may be sitting to-morrow.
Deputy McGilligan has given notice of his intention to raise the subject-matter of Question No. 3 on the Adjournment.
Are you accepting the notice in respect of Question No. 1, Sir?
Deputy M.E. Dockrell gave notice in regard to another question in the House. I think such notice should be given in the House so that all Deputies would have equal opportunities. I deprecate the practice of sending notice to the Ceann Comhairle before the House meets of intention to raise a matter on the Adjournment on that day. If two or more Deputies give notice to raise questions on the Adjournment, the Deputy who rose first, other things being equal, should get precedence. On this occasion I am accepting the notice for Deputy McGilligan with regard to question No. 3.
Surely it is an abuse of the privileges of the House with regard to raising a matter on the Adjournment. I understood that, in general, one raised a matter on the Adjournment because of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply. In this case, Deputy McGilligan must have determined for himself that the reply, no matter what it was, was unsatisfactory to him.
A matter might be raised on the Adjournment which has not appeared as a question.
This relates to a Parliamentary question.
The Minister takes a long time to learn about Parliament.
And it did appear on the agenda.
The Minister is learning his A,B,C in public life.