It is proposed to take the business as on the Order Paper in the following order: Items 3, 10, 11, 9 and 8 (Votes 48, 49, 54 and 55).
Order of Business.
I understand it is the intention of the House to sit today and to-morrow, and to adjourn to-morrow night at 10.30.
Quite right.
I would like to make a suggestion to the House. It would convenience Deputies from the rural areas very considerably if the House could meet to-morrow at 10 a.m. and sit until 3 p.m.; that would mean a sitting of five hours, and it would enable country Deputies to get home to-morrow night. There are a number of country Deputies who have certain obligations at home on Church holyday mornings. As we know, certain sittings of the House are arranged to facilitate certain Dublin Deputies, and I suggest to the Taoiseach, to the Ceann Comhairle, to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, or to whomever is in authority in this connection, that the House should sit to-morrow at 10 a.m. and adjourn at 3 p.m. This will enable rural Deputies to go home to-morrow night and be at home for the morning of the Church holyday.
I am sorry the Deputy did not give me some notice of his desire in this respect. It would be difficult to make an arrangement at the moment, but, if the Whips have a consultation, it might be arranged. So far as I am concerned, I do not mind.
I did notify the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.
The Deputy did not notify me. The existing arrangement will have to stand unless some other arrangement is come to and, unless general agreement is reached, I cannot do anything. The Deputy should have given us some chance of doing something about it—some notification in advance.
Will the Taoiseach give some indication on the Adjournment to-night as to whether there is agreement on this matter?
The Deputy will, of course, be notified.