asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state the total expenditure incurred by, and the total earnings of, the Irish News Agency during 1950.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Irish News Agency.
In accordance with Section 16 of the Irish News Agency Act, the agency is required to furnish me with a balance sheet and profit and loss account for each accounting year and I am required to lay each such balance sheet and profit and loss account before each House of the Oireachtas. The company's accounting year ends on 31st March. I think that this statutory provision ensures that the Dáil will be adequately informed of the financial development of the agency and that it would impede the agency in the efficient discharge of the tasks entrusted to it were it to be required to supply financial information not relating to normal accounting periods. I am, therefore, not in a position to furnish the information requested by the Deputy.
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state the number of persons employed on a whole-time basis and the aggregate annual salaries paid by the Irish News Agency (a) in Ireland, and (b) outside Ireland.
The number of persons employed on a whole-time basis by the Irish News Agency in Ireland is 27 and their aggregate annual salaries and wages are £13,746. The number of persons employed on a whole-time basis outside Ireland is ten and their aggregate annual salaries and wages are £4,058.
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state the number of daily newspapers which have entered into contracts with the Irish News Agency for a regular service of news (1) in Ireland, (2) in Britain, (3) in U.S.A. and (4) elsewhere, and the annual fees payable under each such contract.
The board of directors of the Irish News Agency have informed me that it would not be in the agency's commercial interests to furnish information of this kind. This is a matter, of course, entirely within the competence of the directors of the agency, which is a limited company formed and registered under the Companies Acts. I shall give a detailed review of the agency's operations to date when I introduce the Estimate for the Department of External Affairs.
In view of the fact that this agency is heavily subsidised by the public, what reason can the Minister advance for refusing to give the public information as to its commercial activities?
As this agency has been set up by this House, it is my considered opinion that this House should not be used as an instrument to damage it commercially.
In view of the fact that the taxpayers are asked to subsidise this agency, are they not entitled to get, through the Minister, some information as to how it is going?
The Deputy himself, when on this side of the House, took up the attitude that, in relation to State-sponsored companies, information which might be damaging to their commercial interests should not be asked for in this House.
The Minister misunderstands me if he thinks I am querying the activities of this concern because it was sponsored by the State. I am querying them because it is subsidised by the State.
Oh!
We are in the third phase of the moon now and the Minister might——
And the Deputy is just the same as he was in the other three phases—out to do damage.
If it is proposed, as the Book of Estimates indicates, to continue the subsidy, does the Minister not think the Dáil should get some information as to whether this concern is making any commercial progress or not?
Certainly, and that information, of course, as I have indicated to the Deputy, will be given when the Estimates are being introduced. I would ask the Deputy and the members on the opposite side to give the news agency a chance and to co-operate in making it effective.
£25,000 a year is a fair chance.