Before the Dáil passes to the Orders of the Day, I beg to state that this Bill—the Occasional Powers Bill—which is before us to-day reached me, as I suppose it reached other Deputies, late on Monday. We were informed, and a covering note stated, that any amendments to it would have to be in hand early on Tuesday. With a Bill of this technical character, it is quite impossible to put in amendments of that kind at such short notice. The purpose of my rising is really this, though it is not a matter over which you, sir, have control, as that lies with the Executive Council, but my object is to ascertain whether it would not be possible for us to have this Bill well in advance even though it meant a short adjournment of the Dáil. I suggest it would lead to greater efficiency if we could, and I think it is about time we did get to the point when we could have our business in hands for a week ahead. To put into the hands of Deputies a Bill like this late at night, and require amendments to be handed in by the following morning, really means that amendments are impossible. I do hope that it will be possible to take steps, whether by adjournment or otherwise, so that we may have an accumulation of business well ahead, and know what business we have to attend to in advance.
OCCASIONAL POWERS BILL.
The Deputy is under a misapprehension as to the terms under which this particular Bill was sent out. It was not mandatory. It did not require amendments to be in at a particular time. You were simply requested to send them in. The word should be Wednesday and not Tuesday. It was in view of the fact that the Committee stage might be taken this week. No amendments have been received.
As a matter of general practice, would it not be right to assume that until the Second Reading has been passed amendments for the Committee stage should not be invited?
It would as a matter of correct practice. It is hoped we will eventually get to the stage when the practice of the Dáil will be correct in so far as Deputies will have Bills before them in time. We will now proceed to the consideration of the Report of the Committee on Salaries and Allowances.