Committee Reports::Special Report - Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Bill, 1937 together with the proceedings of the Special Committee::16 November, 1937::Proceedings of the Joint Committee


	HOME Baile
	COMMITTEE REPORTS Tuasascálacha Coistí

Committee Reports > List of Committees > Dáil > 1937 > Special Committee on the Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Bill, 1937 > Special Report - Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Bill, 1937 together with the proceedings of the Special Committee

IMEACHTA AN CHOISTE SPEISIALTA.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE.

Dé Máirt, 16adh Mí na Samhna, 1937.

Tuesday, 16th November, 1937.

1. The Committee met at 8.40 p.m.

2. Present: The President of the Executive Council (in the Chair); the Minister for Agriculture; the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance; Deputies Costello, Dillon, Fitzgerald-Kenney, McGilligan, Moore, W. O’Brien, J. M. O’Sullivan and Smith.

3. The Minutes of the previous meeting were signed.

4. A Draft Special Report, proposed by the Chairman, was read as follows:—

1. The Committee held seven meetings at most of which there was practically a full attendance of members.

2. The Committee at its first meeting considered the procedure to be adopted. The Committee decided, unanimously, that verbatim reporting should be dispensed with and that representatives of the Press should not be present. It was felt that these arrangements would conduce to the fullest discussion and the greatest freedom in exchange of views. With similar objects the rules of procedure generally governing the consideration of Bills by Special Committees were waived. To provide for modification of view as discussion proceeded, it was also agreed later to take decisions on proposals, in the first instance, informally and provisionally, by a show of hands, instead of by set divisions with a record of names. Proposals of a formal character were made and voted upon as detailed in paragraph 3.

3. In response to a request for alternative proposals or suggestions, schemes were submitted by the Minister for Industry and Commerce, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance, Deputies McGilligan and Norton. The minutes of proceedings of the Committee, which are appended hereto, record these proposals and suggestions, in the order in which they were received, and the decisions reached by the Committee upon them. The formal decisions referred to in paragraph 2 were those taken after 8.15 p.m. on Thursday, 4th November, in regard to (a) election by a Group of 22 weighted on a certain basis; (b) election by a Committee of the Dáil weighted on a similar basis; and (c) the choosing of the Group on principles of Proportional Representation.

4. The trend of discussion on these proposals made it clear that there was a considerable divergence of opinion in matters both of principle and of detail, and that there was no prospect of any substantial measure of agreement being reached on any of the schemes submitted. A proposal for the establishment of an Electoral Group, set out in the minutes of Thursday, 4th November, was approved by eight votes to seven, but the Government members intimated that they could not recommend the adoption of this proposal to the Dáil. The conclusion was then arrived at that no useful purpose would be served by a prolongation of the Committee’s deliberations. In coming to this conclusion, the Committee had in mind the understanding that the Bill, as it emerged from Special Committee, would be recommitted to a Committee of the whole Dáil and accepted the view that it was important that a Bill regulating the conduct of the election of panel members to the Seanad should be law before the adjournment of the House for the Christmas Recess.

5. For the reasons set forth, the Committee has decided not to proceed with the consideration of the Bill, and has resolved to report it back without amendment to the Dáil.

November, 1937.

Chairman.

Question:—“That the Draft Special Report proposed by the Chairman be read a second time paragraph by paragraph”—put and agreed to.

Paragraphs 1 to 4 agreed to.

Paragraph 5 amended by the deletion of the words “without amendment to the Dáil”, and the substitution therefor of the words “to the Dáil accordingly”; and, as so amended, agreed to.

Question:—“That this be the Special Report of the Committee to the Dáil”—put and agreed to.

It was ordered, That the Special Report and the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee be presented to the Dáil on Wednesday, 17th November.

5. The proceedings of the Special Committee concluded at 8.55 p.m.