On the 26th February, 1958, I addressed the following question to the Minister for External Affairs:—
"To ask the Minister for External Affairs whether members of the Garda Síochána, who applied for passports to go to Northern Rhodesia, have been refused, and if so, on what grounds, and how many such refusals have been made."
The Minister for External Affairs replied:—
"So far as I am aware from an examination of the records of my Department for the past few years no member of the Garda Síochána applied for a passport to go to Northern Rhodesia; the latter part of the question does not, therefore, arise."
I want to assure the House and particularly the Minister for External Affairs, that I do not raise this matter on the Adjournment for the purpose of embarrassing the Minister. I raise it only for the purpose of eliciting information. The information at my disposal proves that the reply which the Minister gave me on the 26th February last is not in accordance with the facts.
It is generally known that in recent months, particularly in the past six months, quite a large number of members of the Garda Síochána have gone abroad to serve in policy forces on the Continent and in Africa, Canada and the United States. When the Minister for External Affairs tells me that, so far as his Department is concerned, no member of the Garda Síochána applied for a passport it may be the case that the Department prepared a hasty reply for the Minister. I do not accuse the Minister of giving the House either false or misleading information. It may be that he had not the full facts before him.
In December, 1957, an application was submitted from the Superintendent of the Garda Síochána in Clonakilty for the issue of a passport to enable a member of the Garda Síochána to travel to Northern Rhodesia for the purpose of joining the police force there. The fact was clearly stated on the application form. The Garda's full name and address were given and also the address in Northern Rhodesia. A statement of these facts is still available from the records of the sergeant of the Garda Síochána at Clonakilty who will be prepared to vouch for the facts.
The application was made. A week or ten days passed before a reply was received. After ten days, the Department of External Affairs wrote to the applicant stating that, under recent regulations, the Minister for External Affairs could not grant passports to Irish citizens serving or proposing to serve in a foreign police force. That letter was dated 30th December, 1957. Copies of the letter are available. I understand that a copy of the letter was sent to a certain newspaper. Not alone was one such letter issued by the Department of External Affairs but a number of such letters was issued.
As a result of the refusal to grant a passport in this case, the member of the Garda Síochána who was guaranteed an important appointment in the police force in Northern Rhodesia could not travel on the 8th January. It has been the cause of very great disappointment to him. I fail to understand why, when such facts were submitted to the Department of External Affairs, there would appear to be no trace whatever of this application and no trace of the reply issued by the Minister in so far as the particular person is concerned.
May I enlighten the Minister further, in order to refresh his memory? When the reply which he gave me in this House appeared in the daily papers on the 27th February, the applicant addressed a personal letter to the Minister for External Affairs, Dáil Eireann, Dublin, dated 28th February, 1958, in which he refreshed the Minister's memory by giving him all those facts. The Minister was also given to understand that the applicant would refer him for further details of his application to the Garda Síochána sergeant at Clonakilty, County Cork.
If it is a thing that the Minister has now decided to grant the passport to enable this individual to go to Northern Rhodesia, it is too late. The appointment has been cancelled due to the fact that he could not get to Northern Rhodesia on the 8th January. It has been the cause of very great inconvenience. In particular, the reply the Minister gave is by no means in accordance with facts. I raise the matter in a most friendly spirit. I hope the Minister will accept it in the spirit in which I raise it, that is, merely to elicit information and to see if there has been a mistake on the part of his Department. It was a serious matter in so far as this person is concerned, and I am anxious that such a mistake will not recur.
In view of the fact that so many members of the Garda Síochána are displeased with present conditions in the Force, in so far as bad pay and bad conditions are concerned, and are anxious to get very high and important appointments in the police force in Northern Rhodesia where the conditions are most attractive and where a member of the Garda Síochána, going there from this country to-day, can secure a position yielding the same pay as that of a Superintendent in this country because of his skill, training and ability, if there are any applications for passports such as the one in question, perhaps the Minister will be good enough to tell us if they will be granted in future? I feel that a citizen has the right to go to any part of the world he wishes, if he is a free man. The Minister should clear up the position for members of the Garda Síochána who are anxious to better themselves as there are great opportunities abroad for them. It is wrong of the Department of External Affairs to prevent them from going abroad in these circumstances. If we are a free people, we should be allowed to go to any part of the world we like, provided we are of good character and conduct ourselves.
I hope the Minister will be able to throw a certain amount of light on this situation which has caused inconvenience to the applicant in question. Furthermore, it has caused a certain amount of inconvenience and anxiety to members of the Force who have applied for passports to serve in the police forces in Northern Rhodesia and elsewhere.
