It is proposed to take business as on the Order Paper, Nos. 1 to 6. It is proposed to take No. 2 after lunch. Lunch time will be from 1 p.m. to 2.15 p.m.
Order of Business.
Could we have any indication from the Leader of the House as to how long it is intended to sit today?
I have been discussing that question. I think it should be possible to finish the business by 5 o'clock, if it is not finished before that. Of course, in order to ensure that we can do that, I think there should be some agreement in the House that we finish all the business before 5 o'clock.
We could not agree to finish all this business. If any thought had been given to the position of the Seanad and these legal Bills had been submitted to a Joint Committee of both Houses, we would now be in the position where we would have members of this House on both sides who could give us information of the experience of the Joint Committee. We could pass the Second Stages easily. If the aim is to finish the Second Stages, that should be possible.
It is the aim to finish the Second Stages so that we can take the Committee Stages next week. These legal Bills are more of a Committee nature. There will be more discussion on the Committee Stages, I think, than there will be on the Second Reading Stages. I think the Civil Liability Bill, 1960, is the most important one. It is the biggest Bill and it has already been considered by a Special Committee.
If there had been a Joint Committee, we would not have any trouble at all, but apparently the Government are as clumsy about Parliamentary procedure as they are about their Constitution. They do not know either the one or the other.
Could we have an indication as to when it is proposed to adjourn for the Summer Recess?
The end of the summer.
I cannot say that exactly because we are tied to the business we have here. It depends on the members of the House as to what length of time it will take to discuss all these measures which we have before us. We have a job of work to do which has been presented to us by Dáil Éireann and we have to do it. The length of time it will take to do that will depend, as I have said, on the members of the House, the number who will speak and the length of their speeches.
Senator Ó Ciosáin is very disarming. Indeed, there is an underlying suggestion that if we talk too much, we will be here a long time. We have a primitive and fundamental right to talk in this House. It may be very objectionable from a certain point of view but it is a fundamental right.
In addition to being disarming, Senator Ó Ciosáin is very amusing. He has a great sense of humour. It could not possibly be taken seriously that we are to take the Committee Stage of the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Bill, 1959, which contains 61 sections. We are expected to take the Committee Stage of that next Wednesday. Today is Friday and we will not be finished until 5 o'clock. What opportunity will we have to put down amendments, considering that, according to Standing Orders, they must be in before 11 o'clock tomorrow morning, Monday being a bank holiday? Are we supposed to burn the midnight oil in order to put down amendments?
We can leave the the next Stage until we dispose of the Second Stage.
This arises on the question as to when the House is to adjourn for the Summer Recess.
There is no motion before the House regarding the Summer Recess. The Order of Business is as set down in the Order Paper. If the Senator objects, he will have to move a motion.
There is no necessity to move a motion until we know what is to be done.
We cannot spend all the time discussing the Order of Business.
I agree that we cannot but we ought to know whether we will have to deal with the Committee Stages and have amendments in to four Bills by 11 o'clock tomorrow morning. Is that the intention of the Leader of the House?
Get cracking.
Senator Lenihan is ignorant of what is going on in the Dáil or he would not make such a stupid statement.