It is proposed to take business in the following order: No. 7 and Private Members' Business from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. to discuss, by agreement, No. 16.
Order of Business.
I should like to ask the Taoiseach when is it expected that the Book of Estimates will be published?
This week.
Is the Taoiseach aware that the budget is due to be introduced next week and between then and now a plethora of Government publications relating to the budget will have to be published and absorbed? Would the Taoiseach have regard to the urgency of having the Book of Estimates published at once?
I will try to get advance copies to the Opposition.
Could the Taoiseach indicate on what day it is proposed to adjourn the House for the Easter recess?
I will tell the Deputy tomorrow.
Is there any suggestion of sitting during Holy Week?
I think, probably, to Wednesday of Holy Week.
I want to make a complaint, generally, on the inefficient and, not to use a stronger adjective, the indeterminate manner in which Government business is being ordered before this House. I refer to that, in particular, in relation to Government business ordered for today. At the end of last week, as is usual, the business to be brought before the House for the ensuing week was notified to the Opposition. On that occasion, last Friday, we were informed that the Health Services (Regulations) Bill would be taken on Tuesday and that the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, would follow. That was confirmed as late as yesterday but on mid-day Friday the Government Chief Whip, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach, called on the Opposition Whip and told him that it was intended to finish the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill and the budget debate before Easter. The Government Chief Whip asked for agreement for the three items, the Health Services (Regulations) Bill, the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill and the budget debate.
The Opposition Whip was informed that unless agreement was given by us the guillotine would be used to complete the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill before the recess. On my instructions the Opposition Whip informed the Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach that as there appeared to be no special urgency about the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill we would not agree to finish it, whereupon the Government Chief Whip informed our Whip that the guillotine would have to be enforced. We have no way of avoiding that but I want to point out that there are other matters that could easily have been brought before this House. For example, the Agricultural Estimate was introduced and debated in this House as early as the second week of November and since then has been adjourned. I can readily understand that the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries has been busy in recent days and in recent weeks but it is an inordinate delay that this Estimate has been allowed to stand without being finalised over that period of two or three months.
The Estimate for the Department of Justice was left in abeyance for almost three weeks and not resumed. I can well understand the Government's reluctance in present circumstatnces to having the Department of Justice Estimate debated but it is unnecessary, certainly not urgent, legislation before the House to the extent that the Government propose to do. The Minister for Health undertook to Deputy O'Malley on 28th February that the Health Estimate would be debated before the House in the "next couple of weeks." In other words, it should have been up for debate last week or should be up this week. I understand now that as a result of a certain proposition put to the Government Chief Whip the Minister may be in a position to introduce his Estimate next Thursday.
There is another matter. On 6th February, the Minister for Finance prematurely asked for the First Reading of the Finance (Taxation of Profits of Certain Mines) Bill, 1974. On being asked why he was taking this unusual course on the opening day of a new session—the most unusual part of the unusual course being that that Bill was not then ready for circulation, I believe not even drafted—the Minister said they were working on it and he anticipated that this matter would be before the House in a month. It is almost the end of the second month and this important legislation has not yet appeared before the House.
Coming to the present day, we were informed definitely that the Health Services Regulations would have to be debated and completed in this House today so that they could go to the Seanad tomorrow and certain statutory publications could be made by Friday pending the implementation of the new health system. We were informed at 4.30 p.m. on Friday that this was still the intention, but ten minutes later we were informed that the Department of Health were not ready. Our Whip had been sent out on the basis that this debate would continue all day today and if there was to be a division it would be taken this evening. Certain of us had made special arrangements and commitments, allowing for this situation. I entered a commitment on that basis that I now cannot avoid—at any rate, not with easy grace.
Therefore, as soon as the Order of Business has been forced on the House, we will be committed to debating the Electoral Bill, at any time during the course of which a guillotine motion will be introduced. I do not know what the urgency of this Bill is, unless the Government are now feeling the fury and anger of the electorate in relation to their pre-election promises and want in some way to insulate themselves in office before they are faced with defeat in this House. I have made my protest. I know I have no way of enforcing it other than to challenge the Order of Business.
I should like to ask the Minister for Health when No. 4 on the Order Paper will be taken?
I propose to deal with No. 4 tomorrow and to make a statement to the House.
Will the Minister move the motion?
I will make a statement to the House and will deal with the item that is on the Order Paper.
In other words, the Minister is now proposing to withdraw the motion and not to implement it on 1st April.
Another registered failure.
It is somewhat unusual to have such a lengthy statement as the Leader of the Opposition has made. However, I had no desire to curtail it. I should like to say, however, that the Electoral Bill has now been before the House for a total of 46 hours of parliamentary time, compared with 39 hours for the last Electoral Bill—that was for the whole of the time of that Bill. Deputies who were in the House at that time will recollect that it was one of the most protracted debates that ever took place. There were many long distance speakers on the then Government side and the debate lasted 39 hours, but was completed in that time.
This Bill has been before the House since before Christmas and it was expressly deferred to facilitate the Opposition, who at the time criticised the fact that Estimates were taken in preference to legislation. We have now so many Bills before the House that they cannot be reached because the Opposition are deliberately dragging out——
One week.
The Leader of the Opposition was not interrupted once, and whether the Opposition like it or not I will make my statement. The fact is that the Electoral Bill has been dragged out at inordinate length with Deputies arguing one way and voting another for political party purposes. The fun must stop. It is not too much to ask that once in 50 years, five decades, we should have the right to determine the shape of the constituencies. On every other occasion since 1923, Fianna Fáil have done it——
The people did it.
Surely they will allow the Government of the day to do it now when they neglected to do it as it should have been done according to the Constitution and according to a decision of the High Court, confirmed by the Supreme Court, before the last election. We propose to implement that as rapidly as possible. We have given a reasonable time for the discussion and we now propose, if the Opposition co-operate, to finish it by next week. If they do not co-operate we will have to consider alternative means.
In relation to the alleged protracting of the debate on the Electoral Bill, the time taken on the last occasion and now is not so very much different. May I remind the House that during the last Dáil, a Bill to prevent forcible entry to houses was before this House for five months before it was ultimately passed, a Bill far more important, as has been proved in the event?
I should like to ask the Taoiseach where on earth is the great volume of legislation to which he has just referred. Item No. 7 is before the House; No. 8, the Trade Union (Amalgamations) Bill, 1974, we have not seen yet; No. 9, the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Bill, has been debated on Second Stage; No. 11, the Misuse of Drugs Bill, is it before the House? Item No. 12, the Finance (Taxation of Profits of Certain Mines) Bill, is that before the House? Where is the plethora of legislation of which the Taoiseach has spoken?
There is the Planning Bill.
The Chair has given a lot of latitude. Is the Order of Business agreed?
Agreed.