asked the President if he will state the names of the members of the Irish Free State delegation to the World Economic Conference of 1932, and if he will state whether they have presented a report to the Government, and whether it is the intention of the Government to publish that report, and if so, when; and if not, if he will state what are the reasons for withholding the report from publication.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - World Economic Conference Report.
I presume the question refers to the World Monetary and Economic Conference held in London in June, 1933, not 1932, as stated.
Senator Joseph Connolly, Minister for Lands and Fisheries, was the Saorstát delegate at the Conference. He was accompanied by Mr. Joseph Brennan, Chairman of the Currency Commission; Mr. J.W. Dulanty, High Commissioner in London; Mr. J.J. McElligott, Secretary, Department of Finance; Mr. John Leydon, Secretary, Department of Industry and Commerce; Mr. D. Twomey, Department of Agriculture; Dr. T.J. Kiernan, Secretary, Office of the High Commissioner in London, and Mr. A.W. Bayne, Department of Finance, as advisers and experts. Mr. T.T. Cremins, Department of External Affairs, acted as General Secretary of the delegation. A number of other delegates and advisers were appointed, but no occasion arose for their attendance.
Minutes of the proceedings were published daily during the Sessions in the Journal of the Conference, a complete set of which was sent to the Oireachtas Library on the 9th August, 1933. In view of this fact and of the failure of the Conference to reach decisions on any of the major questions considered, no formal report has been presented by the Saorstát delegation, nor is it proposed to ask for one. The remainder of the question does not, therefore, arise.
Does it not appear an extraordinary thing that with such a substantial and expert deputation sent to an important Conference, a summary of the conclusions to be drawn from the discussions at that Conference was not presented to the Government by the delegation?
The Conference was important, but the results of the Conference were not very important.
Are we to understand that after spending such a considerable amount of time at the Conference a deputation of that particular kind did not make a report upon the lessons to be learned from the failure of the Conference, and that they had nothing definite to report as to its conclusions?
As I stated, the minutes were published; they are in possession of the Government, and any member of the Dáil may see them in the Library. It appears from them that there was nothing to call for any special report.
What I am interested in is whether the Government, as such, got any advice from a deputation to a Conference that was considering very important matters?