asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state, in relation in the Lockheed Constellation aircraft recently purchased by Aerlínte Teoranta: (a) the number of aircraft purchased; (b) the cost of each aircraft; (c) the total purchase price; (d) whether the purchase price was paid in dollars, and if so, the number of dollars so paid; (e) the number of employees of Aerlínte Teoranta and its associated companies sent to the United States of America for special training in the flying and maintenance of these aircraft; (f) the total cost of the stay of these employees in the United States of America; and (g) whether this sum was paid in dollars, and if so, the number of dollars so paid.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Purchase of Aircraft.
Five Lockheed Constellation aircraft have been purchased at a cost of 4,460,000 dollars, representing 892,000 dollars per aircraft. The air company sent 43 employees to the United States of America for training in the flying and maintenance of the aircraft at a cost of approximately £45,000, of which some £35,000 was paid in dollars.
Mr. Morrissey
Has the Minister made any estimate as to when those five machines will earn the 4,500,000 dollars?
They will start earning next Monday.
Mr. Morrissey
Will the Minister say when they will have earned the price of their cost?
Does the Minister not consider that this money would be spent much better in endeavouring to provide food and clothing for the people?
No. There has been no difficulty in providing dollars to purchase all the food and clothing that we can get in the dollar area.
That is good.
May God forgive you for that answer.
Will the Minister say how this 4,000,000 dollars is being provided?
Expenditure by Aerlinte.
Is the money being provided by borrowing or in what other way is the money being found?
Mr. Morrissey
Where are they getting it?
Presumably they paid it out of capital. The Deputy had better give me notice of the question.
Does the Minister seriously suggest that our Treasury has at its disposal sufficient dollars to purchase all the food and other materials and clothing that our people are in a position to bespeak in the dollar area because, if he has that idea in his mind, he is daft?
The Deputy is arguing.
I have not said so.
You said it. Back-pedal now.
I have said that up to the present there has been no difficulty in providing all the foreign exchange necessary to purchase all the essential foods and materials which we were able to import.
There is no truth in that statement.
I presume, a Chinn Comhairle, you heard Deputy Dillon's remark?
Am I not permitted to say that the Minister is utterly incompetent, if that is the reply he has made to the question?
It does not arise. Comments on answers are not in order.
Not even the comment that the answer is untrue.
I said the statement is untrue, as it is.
And he said the Minister was daft, and he was not far out.
A certificate to that effect from Deputy Dillon would certainly be worth having.
You have it.