The next item is the Finance Bill.

It has been suggested in view of the lateness of the hour that the Committee and remaining Stages of the Finance Bill be deferred until next Tuesday. This course could be adopted if the House so wishes but there would have to be agreement that all Stages of the Bill would be concluded by 8 o'clock next Tuesday.

What time does the House propose to sit next Tuesday?

At 2.30 p.m.

On behalf of this party I agree with that.

This is just a slight further teasing out of the matter. I agreed in discussion with Senator Eoin Ryan that since the legal difficulty genuinely will arise after next Tuesday I would be happy to see all Stages of the Bill go through on Tuesday. That was the agreement I gave him and that is an agreement I hold to. But I note, with certain interest, that he has now introduced the time of 8 o'clock which he did not introduce in discussions with me. If we make agreements we should stick to them.

I was providing that there would be a motion on the Adjournment.

That was thoughtful of the Leader of the House. But this is a very large Bill with a lot of interesting things in it, and I would prefer to adhere to the agreement which I gave him privately, which is that he will get all Stages on Tuesday. But I do not like the procedure of introducing a subsequent proviso which had neither been discussed nor agreed between us.

Is this agreed?

Not agreed.

I think 8 o'clock on Tuesday is really as late as we can sit. This is stretching a point. It is raising considerable technical difficulties but I cannot agree to any later than 8 o'clock on Tuesday.

I made the point that a subsequent proviso was introduced after an agreement had been reached. With that on the record I am happy to accede to the request, with the addendum that it is not really a way to do business.

I am quite willing to go on if the Senator wishes.

Committee Stage of Finance Bill, 1980 ordered for Tuesday, 24 June 1980.

The Seanad adjourned at 7.55 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 24 June 1980.