When will the Bill be circulated?
Finance Bill, 1979: First Stage.
Leave granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to charge and impose certain duties of customs and inland revenue (including excise), to amend the law relating to customs and inland revenue (including excise) and to make further provisions in connection with finance.
—(Minister for Finance.)
It is proposed to circulate it during the recess.
Unless Deputies come to the House to collect their post they may not receive the Bill until after the recess.
Will the House fix a date for Second Stage?
There is a practical problem here. The House is going into recess for a fortnight. The Minister proposes to circulate the Bill during the recess when Deputies will not be in the House to collect their post. Can anything be done about that? This Bill finances the provisions in the budget and it is therefore the most important piece of legislation we will have in 1979.
I cannot fix a date for the Second Stage now. I am introducing the Bill by Long and Short Titles and I should prefer if we provisionally fix the Second Stage for the date of resumption and then it could be discussed between the Whips.
It cannot be taken before 1 May. Is that not correct?
Why not?
Because of the farm levy.
The Deputy is mistaken, but I am sure the Chair does not want us to enter into the merits of this discussion now.
Of course the Minister may want to introduce the farm levy by order, by the backdoor method.
It is not only a question of the farm levy on 1 May. It was clearly indicated in the House by the Minister for Social Welfare during Question Time yesterday that there may be some changes in social welfare provisions as a result of discussions going on at the moment.
Not at all.
Second Stage ordered for Wednesday, 25 April 1979.