It is proposed to take business as on the Order Paper, Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5—Votes 29 to 64.

I move:—

That the Dáil sit later than 9.30 p.m. to-night and that the order for the adjournment be taken not later than 6 a.m. to-morrow.

Are you thinking of an election?

What do you expect to finish?

We expect to finish by 9 o'clock to-night.

What do you expect to finish?

All the Votes.

All the Votes?

The Army Vote included?

Yes.

That is impossible.

I think it is unreasonable to ask the Dáil to deal with all these Votes. Surely if we finish Agriculture, Justice and Fisheries, we will have made good progress?

After the very protracted debate we have had on Agriculture, I expect the discussion should be finished by 4 o'clock or 5 o'clock this evening.

It will not.

It is unreasonable for the Government to expect the House at this stage to deal with so many Votes between now and 6 o'clock in the morning.

We will go on anyway, and see if the business can be disposed of. We must make some progress with the business.

Would it not be possible to adjourn at the usual time to-night and meet at 10.30 in the morning?

I think that Deputies would prefer the arrangement proposed by the Government.

Why all this rush?

Nobody can allege that the Estimate for the Department of Agriculture was rushed.

It is the most important Estimate we have to debate in the House.

It may or may not be, but the fact with which the Government is concerned is that it is the first Estimate to be discussed, and if the time taken in discussing it is any indication of the time to be taken on other Estimates, we shall not finish the Estimates for this year until well into next year.

If the House has not finished these Votes by 6 o'clock in the morning, what will happen?

We expect to be finished long before that, and we expect the co-operation of Deputies in that matter.

There is a motion in my name on the Order Paper for quite a long time to annul the Emergency Powers Order fixing the price of fleece and skin wool for the 1944 crop. I understand that the Order is to come into force on 1st April, and I was expecting, although it looks very hopeless now, that I would get an opportunity to move that motion on the Adjournment.

The motion could not be moved on the Adjournment. I should think that, in accordance with normal practice, the Government would be prepared to facilitate the Deputy in having a discussion of his motion; but in view of the fact that the Dáil proposes to adjourn this evening over Easter, I think it must await the reassembly of the Dáil after Easter. At that stage I suggest that, if the Deputy establishes contact with the Government Whips, arrangements will be made to provide some time for discussion of his motion.

I got into contact with the Government Whips and was told that the only thing for me to do was to raise the matter here to-day. I am now doing so, and what I want to know is whether the Order comes into force on 1st April?

That is right.

Then I ask permission to move my motion even at a late hour to-night.

The Minister stated that the debate of the past few days has lasted an inordinate time. Does he consider that, having regard to the importance of the subject matter, the speeches have been irrelevant or out of order in taking up the time they have taken up?

The Chair is the judge of relevancy.

The Government are not suggesting that speeches should be curtailed. They are, in fact, proposing that ample time be given for such speeches.

I misunderstood the Minister, who spoke here as representing his own Department. The impression he conveyed to me was that agriculture is not as important in his mind as it is in the minds of some other people.

Would the Minister consider deferring the coming into operation of the particular Emergency Powers Order?

So far as the motion to annul the Emergency Powers Order or any such motion is concerned, it has been the practice in the past to afford facilities for discussion of a motion for annulment, even if it could not be reached in Private Members' time in the ordinary course of events. In view of the considerable upset in the programme by reason of the fact that the debate on agriculture has taken much longer than was anticipated, it may be difficult to provide that time now, but I feel sure that arrangements can be made to provide time for such discussion when the Dáil reassembles.

May I take it that when the Dáil reassembles I will get an opportunity of moving the motion?

I think the Deputy can assume that.