Deputy Ryan gave notice that, on the motion for the adjournment, he wished to raise a matter of the alleged failure of the Irish Embassy in Bonn to come to the assistance of Irish seamen stranded, without means, in Bremen. That is the net point to be raised.
Committee on Finance. - Adjournment Debate: Repatriation of Irish Seamen from Germany.
Mr. Ryan
This is probably one of the most serious matters this House has been asked to consider for some time. It concerns the total failure on the part of the Department of External Affairs to come to the assistance of some Irish citizens abroad who found themselves, through no fault of their own, in dire circumstances, without either any means of support or any means of getting back to their own country.
It concerns, too, the failure of the Department of External Affairs to observe the recognised practice in relation to the treatment of seamen out of their own country. It shows a callousness and an indifference on the part of the Irish Embassy in Bonn which is a sorry reflection on this country, a great discredit to the country and to our Department of External Affairs. Indeed it is something of which we ought to be ashamed. We ought to be ashamed that another country had to come to the assistance of Irish citizens because of the complete disregard by the Department of External Affairs of its plain Christian duty to come to the assistance of Irishmen abroad who find themselves stranded. These Irishmen, some 42 in number, were enticed— perhaps "shanghaied" would be a more appropriate description—to Germany with a promise of certain contracts, which were subsequently not fulfilled.
I told the Deputy the only matter I would allow him to raise is the matter he definitely set out, namely, the alleged failure of the Irish Embassy in Bonn to come to the assistance of Irish seamen stranded, without means, in Bremen.
Mr. Ryan
I appreciate that fully.
I cannot allow anything beyond that to be raised on this adjournment motion.
Mr. Ryan
I appreciate that, but I wish to point out that the circumstances which occasioned these Irishmen being in Bremen were brought to the notice of the Irish Embassy in Bonn. The case is, therefore, not that which was referred to today by the Government Information Bureau, and reported in this evening's paper, that persons who voluntarily leave employment abroad are not usually repatriated at the taxpayers' expense. The persons to whom I am referring are not persons who voluntarily left employment. I gather the Embassy in Bonn was so informed. The Embassy was informed that these persons had been offered employment which did not materialise; they were unemployed Irishmen who had left their country to seek employment abroad in order to provide for themselves, their wives and families. Because they were unemployed they had not the means whereby to get themselves home again.
I understand these men gave an undertaking to the Department of External Affairs that they would repay any expenses the Department would incur in sending them home. On that undertaking, the Embassy in Bonn should have decided to send these men home. With some degree of mortification, I must inform the House that one of these Irishmen preferred to travel on a British passport. His preference was governed by his fear of what might happen should he find himself stranded, in dire circumstances, with an Irish passport. He, with two colleagues, reported to the British Consul in Bremen. He gave an undertaking to repay the cost of being sent home and, without more ado, he was despatched on his journey, with a ticket to Dublin; as well as that, he was supplied with pocket money.
My information is that the British Consul in Bremen, although under no obligation to do so, phoned the Irish Embassy in Bonn, some 600 miles away, to inform the Irish Embassy of the circumstances of the two Irishmen who had called upon him, one of whom carried an Irish passport and the other a Seaman's Book, which ranks as an international passport for seamen. This man was a qualified able-bodied seaman and, as such, under international practice he should have been repatriated by his own Government to his home port.
I am informed that this information was conveyed to the Irish Embassy in Bonn on Wednesday 22nd June— possibly earlier—and the reply from the Irish Embassy was that they would phone the British Consul in Bremen on the following day. No phone call came. The British Consul again phoned the Embassy in Bonn. The message was that they were not in a position to give any instructions, but they would phone the following day. Again, it was a promise unfulfilled. No message was received on the following day, or the day after that. On Saturday another promise was made that instructions would be conveyed on the following Monday. No message came on Monday. On each occasion the British Consul had to telephone the Irish Embassy.
Ultimately these men, who had been waiting for days at the British Consul's office in Bremen, found that the only Christian treatment available to them was that of the diplomatic representative of a foreign Power. They had to rely entirely on the goodwill of this man, this representative of a foreign Power. At three o'clock on Monday afternoon the British Consul had again to take the telephone in his hand and call up the Irish Embassy in Bonn. He then issued an ultimatum; he informed the Embasy that if a message had not come by half past three he would pay for the tickets to send these Irishmen back home to Ireland, at the expense of the British Government.
Half an hour later came the wonderful message, carrying cheer and encouragement to these stranded men; the official who would normally deal with the matter in the Irish Embassy had gone on holidays and there was nobody there who could give any advice. Now, we all wish the official a pleasant holiday; I am not criticising the particular individual for taking his annual leave. What I am criticising is the attitude of the Department of External Affairs which failed, first of all, to act in an emergency in the way it should have acted and, secondly, failed in the established international practice of repatriating seamen who find themselves stranded in a foreign country.
I am also criticising the Department for failing to make the necessary arrangements, when a particular official was absent, for his duties to be carried out by somebody else. The manner in which these Irishmen were left stranded, with no means of support in a foreign city in which they could find very few people able to speak their own language, shows a shocking disregard of clear Christian principles, and were it not for the diplomatic representatives of another Power, they might well have found themselves in the prisons of that city. Instead of that fate, through the kindness of another Power, they found themselves invited into a seaman's institute and there supported by the foreign Power, and provided with pocket money and other assistance.
Apart from these individuals who have come under the direct notice of the Department of External Affairs, reports have appeared in our newspapers since last Saturday pointing out that there are possibly many others out of this group of 42 who find themselves in difficult circumstances, and I wonder if the Department has taken any steps to ascertain the whereabouts of these Irishmen, to ascertain whether or not they are being looked after, and to ascertain if any of them are seeking to get home?
A very large body of men is involved. Some of them, I understand, are juveniles who have not reached the age of 21 years and they are obviously people who went abroad with the good intention of seeking employment in accordance with what they were promised here. It is quite obvious, from the case of the three individuals whose circumstances have been brought to the notice of the Irish Embassy in Bonn, that the members of this party have met with very serious difficulties.
I do not like to interrupt the Deputy but the only men he may discuss are those who have been brought to the direct notice of the Embassy.
Mr. Ryan
In a shocking case of this nature, it would appear, from the facts disclosed by those who have returned through the kindness of a foreign Government, that there may be some members of this party who may have difficulty in communicating with the Irish Embassy.
That matter can be raised in another fashion but I think we should confine this debate on the Adjournment to the people who have been brought to the direct notice of the Embassy.
Mr. Ryan
I think in my request today that I be permitted to raise this matter on the Adjournment, I also mentioned that I wished to speak about the other members of the Party.
Yes, but I definitely limited the Deputy to the alleged failure of the Irish Embassy in Bonn to come to the assistance of Irish seamen stranded in Bremen, and that only includes the number of people brought to their direct notice.
Mr. Ryan
I appreciate that, but I think there is more to it than merely—
There may be others but the Deputy will have an opportunity on another occasion to raise the matter in another fashion.
Mr. Ryan
This is a matter of very great urgency where there are young Irishmen, practically confined, I understand, in an internment camp, in a lice-infested hostel, in which they are being poorly fed and in which they have not got proper bedding. I am sure this information was conveyed by the British Consul when he informed the Irish Embassy of the circumstances of the three men he dealt with.
I told the Deputy I would allow him to raise this in respect of the party who were brought to the notice of the Embassy, and nothing beyond that.
Mr. Ryan
Very well, Sir, but I should like to think that our diplomatic corps abroad would investigate what might be even a rumour concerning the circumstances of any Irish citizen abroad. I think it is pretty well recognised that an Irish Embassy abroad is a piece of Irish national territory abroad. The Irish Embassy in Bonn is a piece of our national territory in Germany. Any Embassy is a piece of the homeland and those who serve in it, apart from the diplomatic functions they engage in, have also the very important duty of looking after Irish citizens in those countries.
It is no excuse to say that the circumstances of these young Irishmen constituted an emergency which could not be dealt with speedily. That is precisely what consuls and ambassadors are there to do—to attend to emergencies and that speedily. Every day on which these Irishmen were left there without guidance, or assurance of help, was a day of constant worry and anxiety for them. It was also a day of constant worry and anxiety for their relatives and friends at home. It is also common knowledge in respect of one of the men who returned that when he got home he discovered his wife had received a postcard saying all was well, purporting to have been written by him when, in fact it was not written by him.
The whole atmosphere of this appalling affair is such as ought to send the officials of the Irish Embassy in Bonn scurrying around Germany to find where these helpless Irishmen are, but, instead of doing that, which I admit might be considered a major operation on their part, they sat down on the job when they were told of two specific Irishmen who were calling day after day at the British Consulate in Bremen, sitting down day after day in the offices of the British Consulate in Bremen, waiting for hours on end for a phone call from the Irish Embassy which never came.
It displays a shocking degree of callousness, or else, hopeless inefficiency, if it is the case that the officials in our Embassy in Bonn waited to communicate with the officials in Dublin, and it shows a disgraceful lack of concern on the part of the Department in Dublin if it did not straightaway forward instructions to Bonn to send these Irishmen home without any further delay. In fact, in a case of this nature, it should not be necessary to convey messages from any Embassy back home. The number of times on which this kind of thing is likely to arise are few and far between.
There is no doubt about the position of the seaman who had a seaman's book. There ought to have been no question of having to await instructions concerning what should be done about that one man. He should have been sent home without delay. The only excuse that could be made is in relation to the man who held a passport and not a book, but the circumstances there had been explained by the British Consul in Bremen. They were precisely the same as those relating to the other Irishman travelling on a British passport who was sent home within hours of calling on the British Consul, and it was only because the British Consul moved in this matter that the other two men were sent home.
I wonder have there been any instructions issued since that date to the Embassy in Bonn to send these other men home? These emergencies are likely to arise from time to time and this case was not, as the Government Information Bureau stated to-day, a case of Irishmen leaving employment abroad and getting stranded. There will always be cases of people being stranded and it should not take the best part of a week to solve their problems. There is no excuse whatever for the Embassy in Bonn promising the diplomatic representative of another country to ring him one day after another, and yet not having the common courtesy to say he was awaiting instructions from Dublin.
I must totally reject the statement made by the Deputy. There is no information at our disposal that the hostel was lice-infested. I think I should make that clear. I might also add that the Department of External Affairs has the highest reputation for its conduct in dealing with persons in distress. The Deputy must be credulous to the point of irresponsibility to have related the alleged facts he has put forward in the House to-night. These are the facts. In May, 1960, the German firm, Wegesacker Fischerei, engaged 15 Irishmen to work on board the firm's fishing boats operating from Bremen.
Mr. Ryan
On a point of order, Sir, I was not allowed discuss the civil contract between the German firm and the Irishmen and, with respect, I think the Minister should not be allowed to do so either.
The Deputy was allowed to go on a good distance to make his case and I must allow the Minister equal latitude in replying.
Mr. Ryan
He should not be allowed discuss the civil contract.
The Deputy just wants to continue to be offensive. On the 30th May one of this group, a seaman who had decided not to sail, applied to the Embassy at Bonn for assistance and was repatriated on the 31st May. The remainder of the group sailed later. On the 29th June three of these applied to the Embassy at Bonn for assistance and were repatriated. The remaining seven have not applied to the Embassy. Five are known to have re-engaged with the German firm. It is understood that one was in the German firm's hostel in Bremen with a broken arm. The Embassy informed him that he would be repatriated if he so wished. He has left the hostel since and has not asked for repatriation facilities.
A further group of 47 Irishmen and one British seaman were engaged in Dublin by Wegesacker Fischerei in June. On the 23rd June two applied, with the British seaman, to the British Consul at Bremen for repatriation. On the same day the German firm telephoned the Embassy to say that a number of the 48 men recruited wished to return home. It was expected, however, that 22 of these would work in the German boats. It was not clear whether all the men who wished to be repatriated could be classified as seamen within the meaning of the Merchant Shipping Act as in some cases they had never been to sea. The Embassy at Bonn, however, was instructed to repatriate any seamen in the group, seamen being interpreted as any man who held a seaman's book or who had ever been to sea before.
In addition, it was decided to repatriate any minors involved whether or not they could be classified as seamen. In cases where the names of the minors were known the parents were visited by Gardaí. Some advanced the cost of repatriation; others guaranteed to repay the cost later. In one case the guarantee to repay could not be obtained. In all, 11 of this group have been repatriated by the Embassy. This figure includes nine minors and the two men who applied to the British Consul, one a holder of a seaman's book and the other, who, in the absence of a decision by the Department of Transport and Power, cannot be classified as a seaman. The British Consul, acting on the instructions of the Embassy at Bonn, made the necessary arrangements. The latest news just received from the Embassy indicates that all the remainder of this group of 36 men are at sea working for the German firm.
At no time were any of the men involved without food or shelter as they were accommodated either in a hostel belonging to the German firm or, in the case of those who applied to the British Consul, they were accommodated in the seamen's hostel at the Department's expense. I should make it clear that the Department of Transport and Power, my Department, repatriates those who are working as seamen or are in distress. The Department of External Affairs has no funds at its disposal to repatriate from the Continent those who voluntarily leave their work, but in certain cases they take exceptional action on the merits, such as in the case of minors. In such cases an effort is made to recoup the cost from the parents where this is possible. The number assisted in this way in any one year is absolutely negligible. Some delays are inevitable because the Department must, through its representatives abroad, make the necessary investigations. I should also make it clear that the men who refused to work on the fishing vessels were offered alternative employment in the German firm's undertaking on land——
Mr. Ryan
At half the salary they were promised in Ireland.
The Deputy was not interrupted.
Mr. Ryan
The Minister was allowed discuss the contract. I was not allowed to do so.
It is not for the Department of External Affairs to supervise contracts made by workers abroad. It is their own responsibility to decide what their contracts are. If, however, they get into distress the Department does what it can in the circumstances, but in the ordinary way the Department does not repatriate those who voluntarily leave their work. That is the position. I should add that, although I have no personal knowledge of the detailed circumstances attending these men's work, for the Deputy to talk of conditions in Bremen as though they resembled those somewhere back in the early part of the 19th century is just ridiculous and I do not believe a word of what I have heard in relation to that subject.
The Dáil adjourned at 11 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Wednesday 6th July, 1960.