asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state for what reason the appointment of Mr. Patrick Begley, temporary Radio Éireann announcer, was terminated; why he was given a week's notice of the termination of his appointment; if he was satisfactory in discharge of his duties; whether complaints were received in regard to him; and, if so, from what source, and if Mr. Begley was under consideration for permanent appointment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Radio Eireann Announcer.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state why the appointment of Mr. Patrick Begley as announcer in Radio Éireann was terminated.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware of the grave concern which exists in the country at the recent dismissal of a Radio Éireann announcer; and, if so, if he will state the cause of the dismissal.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will give the date of the temporary appointment to the Radio Éireann staff of Mr. Patrick Begley; further, if he will state whether he was at the time of his appointment considered the most suitable person and if he passed the necessary tests with very high honours.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he considers one permanent announcer sufficientfor Radio Éireann and if he proposes to make further appointments to the announcing staff; further, if he will state what is the method of making such appointments; and on whose recommendation such appointments are made.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to reply to Questions Nos. 29, 30, 31, 32 and 34 together.
I do not intervene in the operations of broadcasting unless important questions of policy are involved. I have not, therefore, asked the director for his reason for engaging or terminating the services of a temporary announcer or about the appointment of announcers generally. If the Deputies who put the questions wish particularly to have information in the matter, I suggest they should address an inquiry to the Director of Broadcasting.
In view of the fact that, during the debate on the Vote for Wireless Broadcasting, the Chair ruled that the Minister was the person responsible to the House for the administration of the service, and that a Deputy has no other means of addressing a query concerning wireless broadcasting except through the Minister——
The Chair did not make any special ruling in respect of the particular incident. The ruling since this House was established, as it is the ruling of all other Parliaments, is that civil servants and people who have no redress must not be attacked in this House.
The Minister is the responsible Minister and Question No. 29 asks for the reason why the Department of which he is the Minister has terminated the services of Mr. Begley as Radio Éireann announcer. Might I ask if the reason is Mr. Begley's accent or are there any other reasons, in view of the anxiety amongst the general public as to the reasons for the termination of his services?
The Deputy, as usual, is trying to suggest that there are reasons of some sort of semi-scandalous nature. As I have indicated, the House on two separate occasions unanimously approved of the principle that radio broadcasting should be free of interference by Deputies, that the day to day details of management should be left to the director and the comhairle. The Party to which the Deputy belongs, in the course of discussion on this matter, indicated that, if anything, we had not gone far enough, but accepted this particular form of quasi-freedom as an excellent experiment to follow. Deputies have co-operated in that regard during the past 12 months to a very pleasant degree by not asking questions in regard to day to day matters and I ask the indulgence of the House in this respect. No broadcasting organisation can be successful, if it is subject to day to day influence from pressure groups of one kind or another. The very life of broadcasting relates to innovation and to the fact that the persons who hold responsibility in the broadcasting station for making appointments can make appointments of a purely temporary character, as well as making appointments which bear some relation to those made in the case of civil servants. All this matter has been debated at some length and I am very happy to note that in the course of the Estimate recently passed by Dáil Éireann, the House, whatever criticism it had to make, unanimously accepted the new principle.
Was it a pressure group sacked Mr. Begley?
The Minister has put forward a case that wireless broadcasting should be taken, so to speak, out of the hands of the House, but these questions have been tabled because we believe that injustice has been done to a man and because statements have appeared in the Press and elsewhere in regard to it. How are we to know what the real reason for the dismissal of this man is unless a statement is made? Might I also say that it looks very badly that this announcement was made the day afterthe Wireless Broadcasting Vote was passed, especially in view of the fact that some of us have heard that judgment was passed in June but that the sentence was not pronounced until the day after the Vote was passed? Most of us have a regard for the personal justice of the Minister, but this certainly looks a very bad case which has given rise to a great deal of public anxiety.
On a point of order, before we get too far from the Minister's opening remark, the Minister has suggested that because Deputy Flanagan asked the question whether there were other reasons for his action he was suggesting that there were scandalous reasons why this man should be dismissed. I ask the Minister to withdraw that remark.
I withdraw it if what I implied was what the Deputy in framing his question seemed to indicate, that there was something more than met the eye. I was not suggesting anything of the kind.
I should like to know if the Minister has investigated the reasons for the termination of this appointment and if he is personally satisfied that the Department acted properly.
Quite naturally, if I were not personally satisfied with the day to day conduct of Radio Éireann I would be compelled, as having ultimate control of the station, to make inquiries. In reply to Deputy Dockrell, the date on which the person referred to was dismissed was a matter of pure coincidence. In further reply to Deputy Dockrell, I am perfectly certain that if Deputies seek information from the Director of Broadcasting they will get all the information they require in this matter. I might also point out that the public controversy that has arisen so far does not reflect badly on the organisation.
Might I ask the Minister if he would give the House the information at the disposal of theDirector of Broadcasting even if it is under his control?
Surely if a situation arises in which a matter is under the control of the Director of Broadcasting, the representative of the Director of Broadcasting in Dáil Éireann is the Minister and, as such, Deputies are entitled to ask him a question? I submit this question has not yet been answered—why this appointment was terminated? If the Minister does not wish to answer it, let him say so but we are entitled to ask it.
I have not asked the director officially at all about this matter. The circumstances, as I have said, are perfectly plain to everyone.
Might I suggest to the Minister that he might care to ask the director and at some future date give the reason to the House if he thinks fit to do so?
I consider that I am not required on any occasion to depart from the general principle of leaving the management of Radio Éireann to the director and comhairle. I shall certainly continue to do so.
On a point of order, for your guidance, Sir, and for the guidance of the House, the Minister said in your hearing that he had inquired into the matter and then he stated that he had not inquired. Did he or did he not inquire?
Question No. 33.
With your permission, Sir, I propose to raise this matter on the Adjournment.