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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 Oct 1941

Vol. 85 No. 1

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - International Labour Office Conference.

asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state the subjects for discussion included in the agenda for the International Labour Office Conference at present being held in the United States of America; whether the Government have appointed representatives to attend the conference; and, if so, if he will state (1) the names of these representatives; (2) the nature of the instructions given to them, and (3) whether it is proposed to issue for the information of the members of the Oireachtas a report on the conference proceedings immediately after their completion.

The agenda of the conference consists of two items: the report of the Acting-Director of the International Labour Office and the question of methods of collaboration between public authorities and employers' and workers' organisations.

The Irish delegates at the conference are the Consul-General at New York, Mr. McCauley, and the Vice-Consul there, Mr. Brennan.

It is not customary to publish the instructions given to delegates to international conferences. The reasons for the practice are obvious, and I do not propose to depart from it in this instance.

As regards the third part of the question, it is not proposed to issue any special report of the proceedings of the conference.

In view of the fact that this is really the only organised international organisation that one might say we have in the world at the present time, and in view of the value of the work that has been done by it and the questions to which it has addressed itself, as well as the fact that we have in the past usually sent representatives of employers and of workers and of the Oireachtas to attend its meetings, will the Taoiseach take into consideration the circumstance that it is most desirable at the present time that the report of the proceedings should be made as widely public as possible? In the meantime, would he consider it advisable that a special report should be made by our representatives there, in view of the fact that there are no representatives of either employers or workers attending, and would he have the report presented to the Oireachtas?

I would not like to make any promise at the moment. The custom, I think, has been to give a short brief report of the delegates, indicating the nature of the business at the conference. After the conference there is a fairly big volume of the proceedings printed and published. As a rule, I do not think that has been put in the library here, but we might consider that in this particular case.

Would the Taoiseach say whether any efforts were made to include the attendance of representatives of employers and workers at the conference?

In view of transport difficulties at the present time we have sent no direct employers' or workers' representatives. We chose the people who were on the spot. This is not a normal conference. Perhaps I had better give the exact phrase. This conference "does not possess the usual constitutional powers of a normal annual session of the International Labour Conference, and the adoption of international labour conventions or recommendations is not contemplated".

Would the Taoiseach give an assurance, so far as he can, that employers' and workers' representatives will be sent to any future conferences that may be held?

So far as the present emergency position goes, it will have to stand on its own, but I suppose, if normal conditions are again restored, the former practice will be resumed.

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