Vol. 10 No. 34
I move "That Standing Orders be suspended for the purpose of enabling the remaining stages of the Housing Bill to be taken to-day."
This motion, which was intended to suspend the Standing Orders so that the remaining stages of this Bill can be taken and discussed to-day, was put down on the supposition that the House would not meet to-morrow. If the House meets to-morrow I do not know whether this motion would not be more appropriately taken to-morrow.
As to meeting to-morrow, that is a matter for the Seanad to determine. The position, as far as I see it, is that all the work available for this week is to be found on the Agenda. It consists of the Bill we are at present discussing, the Appropriation Bill and a motion standing in the name of Senator Haughton. That is the business to be discussed to-day. In the ordinary course both as regards items 4, 5 and 7 on the Order Paper, the House, having disposed of the Second Reading, would wait until to-morrow for the Committee Stage. Whether in view of the fact that there does not seem to be any contentious matter involved in the principle of those Bills, the House would be prepared to dispose of them to-day is a matter entirely for itself. The alternative is to meet to-morrow; that is, of course, not a very serious inconvenience to anybody, but there is the position, and it is for the House to determine.
Some Senators are engaged on a Private Bill, and in view of the forthcoming election, and that one of the Senators sitting on that Bill is ill, and that if the proceedings are not completed before the 6th December the whole work of the Committee and the enormous cost involved in connection with that Bill would be void, it is proposed to sit to-morrow without interruption. Accordingly I think, as as there are no contentious matters in the Bill before us, perhaps the House would agree to Senator Brown's motion.
I understand that you are in favour of the motion.
Yes.
I think it is premature to take any such resolution. We have the Appropriation Bill in front of us, and it might take a long time. I am no prophet in that matter, but if it does take a long time I think we ought to sit to-morrow.
The difficulty is that we are now determining what course we have to take with regard to Item No. 3 on the Agenda. To pass that Bill through all its stages does not commit the House to do the same thing with the remaining Bills. Each motion must be taken on its merits. This particular motion only deals with the Housing Bill.
Perhaps I might say a word. There is simply one point to be dealt with, and I would like to be present in the Seanad when the discussion takes place. I am to take charge of the Cork City Management Bill in the Dáil to-morrow, so that, if it was not an inconvenience to the Seanad, it would be a convenience to me if this matter of the Housing Bill was disposed of now.
Is it definitely arranged that we have to sit in any case to-morrow?
I thought I made the position clear. There is a motion down on the Paper for the purpose of suspending the Standing Orders to enable the remaining stages of this Bill to be taken to-day. The passing of this motion in regard to the Bill now before the House does not commit the House to pass a similar motion in respect to any other Bills if they do not think fit.
I think we should pass this Bill as soon as possible. There are a number of people making arrangements with a view to taking advantage of the provisions of the Bill. The longer it is held up the less chance of getting more houses built. I think we should agree to the motion made by Senator Brown. We have no power to amend the Bill in the only way in which it would be useful to amend it, namely, to increase the amount of the money available.
