It is proposed to take business in the following order: Nos. 9, 8, 10, 15, 11, 5 and 6 and in No. 6 Vote 6. Public business will be interrupted at 9 o'clock for Private Deputies' business.
Order of Business.
On the Order of Business, on last Tuesday, when the Minister for Finance was introducing the Finance group of Estimates, he stated that he would take Vote 22 separately and you ruled, a Cheann Comhairle, that Vote 22 should be taken separately. I would ask that a token Estimate for Vote 22 be put on the Order Paper for next Tuesday.
I understand the Deputy made some arrangement with the Minister last night.
And if it is not possible to carry out that, we will do it in the way the Deputy suggests.
Will the Tánaiste say on what days and hours it is proposed to sit next week?
The same hours as this week.
We thought that the hours during which we are sitting at present were fixed in orderto finish the Estimates so that the Appropriation Bill might be finished.
Well, we did not finish the Estimates, as the Deputy knows. The present hours are fixed by Order of the Dáil and there would have to be a motion here to change them. While I think these hours are working out all right, if there is any general desire to change them I would be prepared to consider it provided we can get agreement.
We were under the impression that we would revert to the ordinary hours next week.
But we did not get through the Estimates and we have a fairly long programme to get through yet. I think we could, perhaps, discuss this next week.
We raised objection last night——
And, as the Deputy knows, I was willing to consider it but we could not get agreement on alternative hours. If the progress made in legislation should be substantial enough to give us prospects of finishing at a reasonable date in December then I think we might revert to the ordinary hours.
We were somewhat led astray, because when we raised objection last week, the Tánaiste said that the present arrangement would only remain until the Appropriation Bill was through.
I think it was the Minister for Health who said that.
I do not know what exactly the words used were, but I certainly said "when the financial business was finished."
May I give notice that I intend to raise the subject matter of Question No. 58 on the Order Paper of the day before yesterday on the Adjournment?