It is proposed to take items Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in that order. It is also proposed to adjourn for tea from 5.30 to 6.30 p.m. at which time we will take item No. 4, if the other business has not been completed, that is the final two hours for No. 4.
Order of Business.
Is it two hours?
An hour and a half.
Is it the intention to take No. 1in toto today and to finish the Bill completely?
I am sorry, I cannot be definite about that.
I would like to ask the Acting Leader of the House why there are no plans either in this House or in the Dáil for a discussion of the Forum Report. As far as I understood, all parties in this House and in the Dáil had claimed this as a great historic breakthrough. The Forum Report is not about to be discussed, as far as I can see, in either of the Houses of the Oireachtas and no motion is on the Order Paper for this. This panacea, this Utopia, which we had presented to us last week is apparently either too good or too bad for the Houses of the Oireachtas to discuss. I would like the Acting Leader of the House to tell us whether the Forum Report is too good for the Seanad, or is it that the Seanad is too good for the Forum Report? It is a very important subject which apparently we are ducking because there are splits in the political parties and I regret enormously that a year's work should have been gone through by all the parties and it has not been brought before either House of the Oireachtas.
With regard to the question asked by Senator Harte, it is intended to take only Second Stage of the Hours of Work Bill to allow people who may want to contribute the opportunity to do so. Therefore just the completion of Second Stage is in question. The question raised by Senator Ross is very important, but there is a procedure in this House which allows such questions to be dealt with and that is normally by way of a motion. It is the prerogative of a person who wishes to have something discussed to put down a motion to have that done.
As long as it is not quite so important as the Government's business.
Senator Ross has the same right as anybody else in this House to put down a motion.
If I put down a motion on the Forum it will come up sometime next year.
The Acting Leader of the House.
In view of the Senator's consternation one might think that the European elections might be over by the time he gets his motion discussed. The Members of the House who are on the Committee on Procedure and Privileges together with the Whips could consider——
The Forum could be over then.
With all due respect, they meet fairly frequently. I do not think it is appropriate to say the Forum is too good for the Seanad or vice versa. Both institutions are very important, their findings are very important and the findings of the Forum are most important.
Too good for the Seanad.
The Senator is prejudging what the decision of the Whips and the Committee on Procedure and Privileges might be, but if the Cathaoirleach would agree that that would be the procedure we would adopt certainly we could refer the matter to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to be considered in discussion with the Whips. The Independent group are represented on that body.
Order of Business agreed to.