By agreement, it is proposed to take Nos. 1 and 2. No. 1 will be completed at 11.30 a.m. and No. 2 will then be taken. We will adjourn for lunch between 12.30 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. and we will adjourn the sitting at 5 p.m. The delay in starting No. 2 is caused by the inability of the officials to be ready because of the late hour at which the Bill was concluded in the Dáil last night. We have agreed to proceed for one hour with No. 1.
Order of Business.
I should like to remind the Leader of the House that there is a group in this House which is almost as big as the Labour Party group, the Independent group, which did not agree to my knowledge to anything this morning. I do not wish to delay the House by proposing yet again another amendment to the Order of Business. It has been suggested to me, for instance, that I lose the goodwill of Members when I behave like that, but since I — or any of the Independent Members — have had no evidence of goodwill in dealing with Private Members' legislation, I am not quite sure what goodwill we can lose on the Government side. I am quite aware of the goodwill on this side of the House. Whether it will continue on the other side I do not know.
It will, of course.
I should like to make it clear that none of the Independent Members to my knowledge agreed to the Order of Business this morning. I do not propose to propose an amendment. Perhaps there is still some goodwill residing on the other side towards the objectives, at least, of the Private Members' legislation that we have introduced but it appears it will be dealt with not with any sense of priority but when it suits or if it suits the Government.
This has nothing to do with the Order of Business, but when did the Office of Public Works last look at this Chamber? There is a crack developing over my head, although I am not too sure that Senator Ryan would be very worried if the room fell down on top of me.
There is a deeper one over my head.
If the Senators can survive until the summer recess, it will be attended to then.
The Chamber is deteriorating at a deplorable rate. The cracks are obviously not hairline cracks but cracks in the fabric of the building.
The Office of Public Works have declared the building safe.
I would not trust them too far.
There is a crack over your head too, a Chathaoirligh.
In response to the reference to cracks from all sides, I share the concern of Senator Lanigan but it is only the people sitting here who have to worry about it. People who give opinions do not have to sit here and we ask them to take our views into account. I appreciate Senator Ryan's problems regarding this side of the House but there is no lack of goodwill. It is quite difficult to get agreement with the Independent group at times as they are hard to find.
That is unworthy.
I am not quite sure who the Senator's appointed Whip is but the person I deal with regularly is Senator Catherine McGuinness. She was aware of what is happening this morning and is the Senator's representative on the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. If I am to deal with each Independent Member they should tell me where they can be located to discuss the Order of Business. I hope there will be agreement because the Combat Poverty Agency is of paramount importance and should be dealt with as quickly as possible. We did not want to waste an hour of the House this morning and that is why we are proposing business in that order. I am sorry if the Independents are upset.
Order of Business agreed to.