asked the Minister for Finance if, with reference to the speech made at Greystones by Deputy MacEoin, as reported in a newspaper last Sunday, he will state if and when a Fianna Fáil Government approved the following schemes: (a) £9,000,000 for the building of a new Dáil assembly room; (b) new Government buildings at Phoenix Park costing £11,000,000; (c) a new gaol at Chapelizod costing £1,000,000, and (d) the washing of the face of Dublin Castle costing £1,500,000.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fianna Fáil Government Schemes.
None of the schemes mentioned was ever approved by a Fianna Fáil Government.
Are we to take it then that there must be some other source from which the Deputy could have got such information enabling him to state to the public as a matter of fact that these schemes had been approved?
The Fianna Fáil imagination—the Fine Gael imagination.
The Minister was right the first time.
Would the Minister, in view of the suggestion made last night that certain files should be made available to the House, ensure that the file relating to the Merrion Square scheme costing £11,000,000 would be placed in the library?
It would put an end to the misrepresentation if it were.
There should be a slight correction. It was £11,500,000.
The whole thing is misrepresentation.
There was no scheme approved.
It was there when I left office.
Did you take it with you?
It is a pity he didnot because then we could show you a photograph of it.
There is no record of the Fianna Fáil Government ever having agreed to any such proposition.
Is the Taoiseach not aware that I was approached by the then Minister for Finance, before he went to the park, and asked whether we would agree to a Merrion Square scheme—a very minor scheme compared with the one that was planned in Government files?
A lot of things are planned by people. It is a question of what decisions are arrived at.
Indeed, it is. We know that.
We threw it out after your Government had approved of it.
Mr. Boland
It was the Cosgrave Government and you are well aware of that.
Let us be truthful here.
They do not understand the truth.
You do not recognise it.
Arising out of the Parliamentary Secretary's reply, could he indicate the cost of the preparation of the plans that were made?
There were no costs and no plans.
That is obviously untrue.
Question No. 6.
Was there not a Bill prepared with headings for the Dáil?
If you persist in falsehood——
Do you deny it?
I do deny it.
You people must swallow the lie now, anyhow.
The Taoiseach has just said there was no plan and you asked us to approve of plans.
You were not asked to approve of plans. You were asked to approve of an idea—a very different thing.
We would want a dictionary for that, too.
Oh yes, you would need a lot of things to be truthful.