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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 15 Jul 1975

Vol. 283 No. 9

Order of Business.

It is proposed to take No. 8 (resumed), No. 9 and No. 10 (resumed) for division at 10.15 p.m. No. 9 will be taken between 7 o'clock and 9 o'clock. It is proposed that the Dáil will sit from 3 o'clock to midnight today, from 10.30 a.m. to midnight on Wednesday, from 10.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. on Thursday and from 10.30 a.m. to 5 o'clock on Friday.

Does the Taoiseach feel it is proper that the announcement of those hours was first made by his Parliamentary Secretary at nearly 5 o'clock on Friday evening although the Opposition Whips' office was left under the impression that there would be no change in the hours this week?

The idea of sitting at 3 o'clock instead of 10.30 a.m. was mine. I did not get authority for that until almost 2 o'clock on Friday afternoon. My hands were very full on Friday afternoon and I omitted to tell the Opposition about it. I appreciate that this caused inconvenience to Deputy Browne in particular, which I regret. I assure the House I intended no discourtesy either to him or to Deputy Lalor or to the Opposition in general.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary or the Taoiseach give us any idea why this decision was made?

We thought we were more likely to get an hour-and-a-half of good work done late at night than early in the morning.

A Cheann Comhairle, is there any way in which the Opposition can express our serious concern about the appointment of the political head of the Government Information Services as Ceannaire of Radio na Gaeltachta and Assistant Director General of RTE?

If the Deputy gives me notice I will consider the matter. Perhaps the Deputy might take it up with my office.

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