The Committee Stage of the Land Bill is obviously going to take a good deal of time, and so I suggest that before we begin it the House should decide to sit late to-night, with a break between seven o'clock and eight o'clock—not necessarily with the object of finishing the Committee Stage to-day (because I do not think that is possible), but in order to render it probable that we shall finish the Committee Stage to-morrow.
Private Business. - Public Business.
Cathaoirleach
I must, with regret, disagree with that suggestion. A number of us here, as I have pointed out on many occasions, are not as young as we would like to be and after sitting here for four hours, we get tired and are not able to debate any questions very effectively. I would suggest that we adjourn at the usual time to-night and sit late to-morrow night. I think it is quite possible that we will finish very early to-morrow and I think the best thing to do now is to see how far we have got by seven o'clock this evening and then adjourn if we see any possibility of finishing early to-morrow.
Cathaoirleach
I am really very anxious that the staff should get away as early as possible. If we get through with this Bill there will be only a bare month for the staff to get their holidays before the Dáil reassembles and, really, to give them a chance of getting a fortnight at least, we ought to get through with it.
I am very anxious about the tenant farmers of this country who will be adversely affected if this Bill does not get proper consideration.
Cathaoirleach
That is what I want it to get but, at any rate, the House has your views and can decide what is to be done.
Could we arrange that the old men should not take part in the debate and that they should be allowed to go home?
To my mind, this is one of the most important matters we have had to discuss, and surely we should allow a proper time for discussing it. There should be no rushing in a case of this sort which is so important to the tenant farmers of this country.
I am altogether against rush and I am sure that everybody in the House is against rush. There is a large number of amendments to this Bill—60 odd—and at least half of those are amendments which will not take any time. They are amendments which are either Government amendments of a purely drafting character, or amendments which depend on other amendments. I have counted at least 30 of these which will create no discussion at all and, therefore, I think it quite possible that, going thoroughly, as we ought, through these, we will finish to-night if we sit late, or finish certainly to-morrow quite easily.
Cathaoirleach
Does the House agree to the course I suggest?
I take it that the point really is whether the Report Stage can be taken on Friday?
Cathaoirleach
We will decide that to-morrow.
Agreed.