Vol. 108 No. 13
I move:—
That it is expedient to authorise such payments out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas as are necessary to give effect to any Act of the present session for the control of the practice of artificial insemination of cattle, sheep, goats, swine and horses.
Surely the Minister intends to give the House some information in regard to the expense likely to be involved by this measure and whether he intends to make some financial provision for a research on this matter. He is merely making provision whereby he can jump in and control some pioneer work which has been done in the County Cork. It is grossly unfair to approach the matter in this particular way. It is a matter that requires, in my opinion, a substantial amount of research if we are going to depart completely from the methods of breeding which have been in operation for hundreds of years in this country. If it proves successful it ought to be very carefully examined and that ought to be done over a period. It is of paramount importance that the matter should receive thorough investigation, and now that we are asked to provide the moneys necessary to administer this measure, I want to hear from the Minister, before agreeing to this Resolution, what it will cost to administer it and whether the Minister is prepared to provide some subvention for the carrying out of important and necessary research.
The points raised by Deputy Hughes, as was made clear on Second Reading, have no bearing at all on the proposals embodied in this Bill.
Why not?
The matter of research and the whole question of policy do not arise here. All I am seeking to do in this Bill is to take to myself and my Department powers to ensure that any development in this line will take place only as a result of the permission of my Department. I cannot at this stage visualise any expense arising in the administration of this measure. As I told the House, it is possible that at some future date I may be obliged to come to the Dáil and ask it to vote the necessary sums, if it should be established that a policy in this regard is desirable. I told Deputies on the last occasion that there was no real demand for this method, with the exception of one centre already established in Ballyclough, County Cork, and the prospect of another in the same county. However, as I say, these are matters of policy and have in fact no bearing at all on the powers which I am asking the House to give me.
Am I to understand that the Money Resolution really means nothing, that the administration of the measure will not cost anything?
I cannot see that very much cost will arise at the moment, seeing that there is only one centre.
The Minister cannot nominate a figure?
Scarcely, because if I receive an application from some group of people in Carlow or Wexford, the only cost which would arise would be that of sending down some of my veterinary officers to make certain contacts and to carry out certain inspections. That would not be a very costly matter.
It would cost something.
It might.
I think I was quite in order in asking the Minister a certain question and I put it as a categorical question now: Does he intend to make any financial provision for the carrying out of the necessary research in this connection? I want to submit on that that, if it is not in the interests of Irish agriculture that we should breed according to the new idea, the best way of making up our minds on the point is by carrying out the necessary research for a period. We ought not to leave it to the pioneers outside to shoulder the full responsibility. There ought to be State responsibility and the Minister ought to accept that responsibility in the matter of the administration and the pioneer work in regard to artificial insemination. I am asking the Minister to tell us what his intentions are.
I am not going to say here what my policy is, nor is it necessary for me to state at this stage what I think the policy should be in this regard. What I am seeking in this little measure is that, if there is to be development along these lines, I as Minister will have the right to say when, where and how that development will take place. That is all that is involved here.
When is the Minister going to make up his mind about that development?
So far as this whole idea is concerned, I am, and I believe a good many people in the country are, opposed to it. Without going further into the matter, I want to say that it is a proposition opposed to the natural law and should not be countenanced in a country like Ireland.
I agree with Deputy Bennett and I am glad the Minister is not expressing himself very firmly on the matter.
