asked the Minister for External Affairs if, in view of the fact that the special economic mission to Ireland of the Mutual Security Agency will close on 8th April, 1952, he will make a statement concerning the negotiations between the Irish Government and the Mutual Security Agency, and, in particular, if he will state (a) the date on which the Government submitted details of proposed technical assistance projects to the American authorities; (b) the date before which those details had to be submitted; (c) whether the proposed technical assistance projects were sanctioned by the American authorities; (d) whether dollars were made available to Ireland in respect of any technical assistance projects; (e) if the technical assistance projects were not sanctioned the reasons for the failure to sanction the projects, and (f) if dollars have not been made available in respect of technical assistance projects the reasons why they were not made available.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mutual Security Agency.
I presume that the negotiations to which the Deputy refers are the conversations and exchanges of Notes which took place between representatives of the Government and of the United States Government at the turn of the year arising out of the coming into force of the Mutual Security Act of 1951, and that the technical assistance projects which he has in mind are those which, constituted the comprehensive programme of technical assistance which was in process of development at the time of the coming into force of that Act.
As regards the exchanges with the United States Government, I would refer the Deputy to the reply which I gave to a question on this subject by Deputy Rooney on the 30th January, 1952, to which I have nothing to add.
The information requested relating to the programme of technical assistance involved is as follows:—
(a) the projects included in this programme were submitted to the American authorities at various dates, all of which were anterior to the 30th June, 1951;
(b) no time limit was imposed by the American authorities for the submission of projects included in this programme, but it was necessary that they should be submitted to the American authorities before the 30th June, 1951, in order that the necessary provision to meet the dollar costs involved could be made out of the E.C.A. appropriations authorised by Congress for 1950/51. The Deputy will be aware in this connection that the American financial year ends on the 30th June;
(c) The programme was approved in principle by the American authorities and the necessary dollar funds for its implementation sanctioned on the 29th June, 1951;
(d) Dollars were made available in respect of five of those projects for which firm contracts had been placed before the 8th January, 1952;
(e) Since the programme of projects was approved in principle, this question does not arise;
(f) The answer to this question is contained in my reply to the question put down by Deputy Rooney on the 30th January, 1952, to which I have already referred.
Would the Minister say why only five projects were approved?
If the Deputy studies the reply, he will find that that has been dealt with.
Has the Minister yet had an opportunity of asking the consent of the United States Administration to the publication of the notes which passed between the Irish Government and the United States Government?
That is a different question.
I expect that that is a question which has been asked on a number of occasions before. Surely the Minister has had an opportunity of considering it.
Is the Minister yet in a position to tell the House what the ultimate fate of the grant counterpart will be?
That is a separate question.
The dollars were spent a year ago.
You have not got that right. I am talking about grant counterpart. Take it easy now.
The pounds representing the dollars which were spent by the Deputy are still in the grant counterpart fund.
Surely the Minister is confusing loan counterpart and grant counterpart.
Yes.
The dollars loaned and the dollars granted were both spent by the Government in which the two Deputies were.
Nonsense.
Untrue.
Over £5,000,000.
The Minister for Finance said the other day that that was nonsense.
Question No. 28.
The dollars were spent.
You do not understand it.