I move:
That a sum not exceeding £2,699,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1982, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Attorney General.
Estimates, 1982. - Vote 12: Office of the Attorney General.
Is this office expected to achieve savings?
You never can tell.
The Minister is technically correct when he says that, but the responsibility devolves on him to tell us.
If the Deputy wishes I will repeat in full the replies I have given in response to earlier questions of this nature.
It is expected that this Department will achieve savings on this Vote?
At this juncture may I ask the guidance of the Chair? I understood there was agreement between the Whips that this part of the Estimates debate would conclude at 11.30 a.m. I still have 20 Estimates to move and other Ministers have to move their Estimates. What is the position? Are we going to move the remaining Estimates and then move on to debate the three selected Estimates, or are we going to continue this what I would describe as entertaining process for the rest of the day?
(Dun Laoghaire): There was no time limit on any Estimate, but I accept what the Minister said. He should not try to say we are unfair because we are trying to unravel where this £45 million is coming from. If the Minister is prepared to give this information I can guarantee every other item will go through.
Acting Chairman
Would the Deputy agree that there has been repetition on each item because Deputies were asking the same question?
If the Chair does not think this is important, this if fair enough.
(Cavan-Monaghan): I would not agree that this is repetition, but arising out of the Minister's remarks, could he tell us the amount of money involved in the Estimates we passed this morning and the amount involved in the Estimates to be dealt with today?
If the Deputy wishes to ask for a short adjournment I will tot up the precise amounts relating to each Estimate. It is obvious that I cannot keep a running total——
It would only take the Minister five seconds.
What is the purpose of this question? What valuable information will it give the Opposition Deputies which is not otherwise available? Could I suggest that while we continue the debate on other Votes, they could arrange for one of their underemployed Deputies to do this piece of arithmetic for them.
Acting Chairman
We are dealing with Vote 12, Office of the Attorney General.
(Cavan-Monaghan): I would like a reply to my question.
Acting Chariman
First, I would like to make this point. I see my function here in this way. Once the Estimate is moved any question can be asked but, in fairness, it must be relevant to the Estimate being debated. At this moment we are debating Vote 12 for the Office of the Attorney General and the Deputy is entitled to ask any relevant questions.
(Cavan-Monaghan): The object of my question is to let the people see how much money we are passing here this morning which they will have to pay in the form of taxes, and how much time we are devoting to it.
Vote put and agreed to.