With reference to the Housing (Amendment) Bill, the notice given to the Minister for Local Government and Public Health, I am given to understand, was too short in view of his other engagements for this morning, and it is possible that he may not be able to attend. A meeting of the Cabinet is to be held at 11 o'clock this morning, and in these circumstances we have found it difficult to arrange for the attendance of Ministers here. We have, however, been in touch with the Minister for Agriculture, who will attend later, if at all possible. In the meantime, if Senator Baxter wishes to proceed with his motion until the Minister is able to be present, I think we can take up business now.
Business of Seanad.
I am in the hands of the House.
How do we stand with regard to the Housing Bill, which was first on the Order Paper?
It will be postponed until the next meeting of the Seanad if the Minister for Local Government and Public Health is unable to be present to-day. There is no alternative.
And are we to understand that the decision that was come to last night, that the Seanad will not meet until after Christmas, still stands?
Yes, that is so. Senator Baxter may proceed.
This puts me in a position of very considerable difficulty, and I am sure it puts the Minister in considerable difficulty also if he is to be expected to reply to a debate which he has not heard, and while I am ready to go on with the motion, it is mainly directed towards the Minister and the Minister's mind. However, I am prepared to go on, if the House thinks that that is an advisable way to do business.
Perhaps the House would prefer to suspend business temporarily until, say, 12 o'clock, when the Minister might find it possible to attend.
Have we any guarantee that the Government meeting will be finished by then?
No, we have no guarantee. We have done all that we possibly could in the matter, and it is now for the House to decide what it will do in the circumstances I have outlined.
Would it be possible to postpone the meeting of the Government until after the Seanad has finished its business?
Well, Senator, we have not gone as far as making that suggestion.
It would be an easy way of doing it.
I think we might reasonably proceed with the business. I quite understand the difficulties of Senator Baxter, but I feel that the transcript of the shorthand notes taken of his remarks will be available to the Minister later on. Now that we have decided at great inconvenience to a number of Senators to come here to-day, I think it would be as well if we went ahead.
I appreciate what Senator Hawkins has said, but the position as I see it is this: If I were to move the motion and the transcript of the shorthand notes were available to the Minister so that he could study it, he would have something to which he could reply, but to say that he can reply without having an opportunity of studying the report of my remarks or without having heard what I have got to say, is making a farce, I think everybody will agree, of a democratic assembly in the sense that we have only one side of a case put to the House. However, there is no use in spending any more time in discussing these points, and I shall go ahead with the motion which Senators have before them.