The order of business will be No. 1, and then No. 3. No. 2 has been postponed at the request of the Minister.
Order of Business.
On the 15th, last Wednesday, Senator Hearne made a statement on the amount of business we have to transact. Have we any definite indication of how much of that we will have in hands next Wednesday and when we will have the Health Bill, and if we are expected to do anything with the Health Bill before the autumn?
All I can say is, that the business of Dáil Éireann, as everyone is aware, has been protracted very much, and it is still very indefinite as to how the business will be transacted or whether it will be concluded in the Dáil.
I am quite clear that the Dáil will pass the Central Fund Bill in time for us to consider it next week. We will have the Central Fund Bill for certain—that is the Bill based on the second Vote on Account, which will presumably have passed the Dáil. The other Bills that were mention here are none of them important except, I think, the Courts of Justice Bill.
If I might be allowed to say it, the Health Bill or any other Bill of major importance like that raises another question. When the Dáil discusses a Bill of first importance like the Health Bill at the end of the summer session and sends it to the Seanad the results, I think, are to thwart the Constitution. The Constitution prescribes that the Seanad shall have 90 days to consider a Bill. August and September, for everybody's convenience, should be regarded as months when neither House of the Oireachtas would normally meet except in cases of great urgency. Therefore, it appears to me that if a measure of first importance is passed at the end of July by the Dáil it should be passed with a resolution extending the time during which the Seanad may consider it. That can be done under sub-section (2) of Article 23 of the Constitution, which says:—
"The stated period is the period of 90 days commencing on the day on which the Bill is first sent by Dáil Éireann to Seanad Éireann or any longer period agreed upon in respect of the Bill by both Houses of the Oireachtas."
When the Dáil is passing a Bill like the Health Bill—I am speaking now irrespective of the particular Bill or the particular Government—it should be passed in such a way as to extend the time by at least 30 days, so that the Seanad might be called in October to discuss the Bill and amend it as it might think fit. That would be a much better arrangement.
It would be very undesirable that we should be asked to discuss any stage of a first-class measure of that kind, which is not of urgency in the financial sense, for example, in August, and I would put to the Minister that suggestion, that the time should be extended by agreement between the two Houses and that the Bill should be discussed in the autumn.
It think it is fair to say that on no occasion has there been any attempt made in this House to obstruct the passage of Bills, and the Minister would get fair treatment here for his Bill.
The suggestion made by Senator Hayes, if it expresses the general opinion of the House, I would undertake to convey, as the expression of opinion of the House, to the Government for consideration.
Thanks very much. We could, of course, take another line. I could put down a motion asking for a longer period of time, but I would prefer not to do that. I think it would be better if an arrangement could be made and I can assure Senator Hearne that he will get every support for any reasonable arrangement of that kind.