Special Committee Wildlife Bill, 1975 díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 15 Jun 1976

SECTION 7.

Question again proposed: " That section 7 stand part of the Bill."

Minister for Lands (Mr. T. J. Fitzpatrick, Cavan)

We had a fairly long discussion which came to a rather abrupt ending on section 7. I have not much more to say about it. As the Committee will know, the section actually provides that the report shall " be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas at the same time as is so laid the report for that year of his proceedings under the Act of 1946." That is the Forestry Act, 1946. Subsection (6) of section 10 of the Forestry Act, 1946, reads:

The Minister shall, as soon as may be after the expiration of every financial year (other than the financial year 1945-46) cause to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas a report of his proceedings under this Act during that year.

In effect that means the report envisaged in this section shall be laid before each House as soon as may be and I take that to mean without undue delay.

Mr. Haughey

We have not changed our attitude on this. We feel this report can be a very important document. It can be of great value to all the different organisations interested in and working in these fields and these areas. For instance, it could be of great use to schools. We are not prepared to visualise a situation in which these reports would come out at sporadic, haphazard intervals three, four or five years after the end of the year to which they refer. We will vote against the section, not because we believe there should not be some section here, but if the Minister will not agree to put in some time limit, we will have to vote against the section to indicate our displeasure with the section as framed. We will put down a motion on Report Stage to compel the Minister to bring in his report within 12 months after the end of the year to which the report refers.

Mr. Tunney

We have all discovered that reports generally, because of their late arrival, could be deemed to be rather irrelevant in most cases. We should ensure that this report will be available within, say, one year of the year to which it refers. This is not asking for too much. We ask for that solely on the basis of its relevance and its utility.

Mr. T. J. Fitzpatrick (Cavan)

I am concerned to have the report available in time. As I said on the last occasion, machinery is available to the House to censure the Minister for not having his report before the House within a reasonable time.

Question put.

The Committee divided: Tá, 7; Níl, 4.

Tá

• Desmond, Barry
• Esmonde, John G.
• Fitzpatrick, T. J., (Cavan)
• Hogan O’Higgins, Brigid
• Kenny, Enda
• L’Estrange, Gerald
• Pattison, Seamus

Níl

• Haughey, Charles J
• Kitt, Michael
• Tunney, Jim
• Daly, Brendan.

Question declared carried.