I move amendment No. 1:
In subsection (1), page 2, line 30, at the beginning of the subsection, to insert:
"If the Government consider that there is imminent danger of a cessation or serious curtailment of electric power arising before the settlement of the present trade dispute."
I want to suggest three amendments arising out of the speeches made here to-day for the purpose of removing some anxieties and some misunderstandings that have arisen. Two of the amendments arise because of speeches made by Deputies of the Labour Party and one is to meet a technical point with which Fine Gael are concerned. The intention of this amendment is to make it clear that action under Section 3 will not be taken unless it is clear that no settlement by negotiation is likely to emerge and the power crisis that we fear is, in fact, imminent. One can understand that there are uncertainties about this situation which make it possible to be precise as to what may happen. I understand that discussions are going on to-day but whether they will lead to results or not, I do not know. Certainly, it would be my anxiety and the anxiety of the Government to leave everything that holds out a prospect of a settlement by agreement to operate and to proceed otherwise only in the event of its being clear that it was not possible to negotiate and we were up against the crisis.
If this power crisis was on, you could have 50,000 or 100,000 workers out of jobs. We could have hospitals without supplies of electricity. There could be no bread; there could be no lights in the streets and there would be an entirely different atmosphere here. We decided to move in advance of the crisis rather than wait for it to develop. If this Bill does not succeed in getting an end to that situation and we have to meet again in such a critical emergency situation, Deputies will appreciate that our duty as public representatives is to ensure that something is done. I have been deluged with telegrams and letters asking that something should be done. The difficulty of doing anything effective in these matters which will meet with everybody's approval is not appreciated. I want to make it clear that action under the section will not start unless two situations exist: first, it is clear that negotiations have ceased and that there is no hope of settlement by negotiation and, secondly, that the power crisis which would produce the hardships anticipated is actually upon us.
