asked the Minister for Agriculture whether the National Stud sought his views in connection with the sale of Tulyar and the purchase of the French sire, Vimy, and, if so, if he will make a statement in the matter; further, what were the conditions of (a) the sale of Tulyar, and (b) the purchase of Vimy.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sale of Tulyar—Purchase of Vimy.
Matters connected with the sale of stock from the National Stud or the purchase of stock for the stud are for the Board of Directors of the Irish National Stud Company, Limited. The board is under no obligation to seek my views on such matters. I was, however, informed by the board that they had unanimously resolved to sell Tulyar, and I informed the board that this was a matter for their own discretion within the powers vested in them by the National Stud Acts. I am also informed by the board that:—(a) the sale price of Tulyar is the U.S. dollar equivalent of £240,000; the property in the horse passes to the purchaser on the lodgment of this sum to the credit of the stud company, the horse to continue to stand for service at Tully up to the 30th June, 1956; (b) the purchase price of Vimy is £105,000; the purchase is conditional on the horse's passing a veterinary examination and fertility test, and, provided it does so, the stud company is to complete the purchase and arrange within a reasonable time for the transit of the horse to Ireland.
Would the Minister say why it was not made public that Tulyar was for sale, as in all probability a greater price would have been received for Tulyar in those circumstances, and, further, why Mr. George Hancock and his associates were made aware of the sale and no one else?
That clearly is a matter for the internal administration of the stud. It is clearly a matter for the directors to determine under the Acts.
In connection with the price received for Tulyar and the price paid for Vimy, could the Minister say how much money was paid in commission fees in connection with both operations, to what particular agent these fees were paid and how long this agent has been functioning in this country?
I am afraid I do not know the answers to the questions which the Deputy raises.
This arises out of the question. Would it be possible to have that information made available? I should like to satisfy myself, because I have been informed that the agency in question has been set up in this country only within the past six months and there are a number of Irish agencies which could have conducted this sale.
Due to the unsatisfactory nature of the Minister's reply, I propose, with your permission, Sir, to raise the matter on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
We will give Tulyar another gallop this evening. It seems to me that the matter of the selection of agent is clearly a matter of detail which the directors would have the sole function to determine. The Minister for Agriculture, in any Government, must either make up his mind to run the stud himself or to appoint directors for the purpose of running it. This House decided that the proper course to adopt was to appoint directors under the Acts to run the stud and they deal with matters of detail accordingly.
We should be entitled to question it all the same.
Mr. de Valera
That is nothing new, is it?