Tairgim:
Go ndeonófar suim nach mó ná £415,900 chun slánaithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31ú lá de Mhárta, 1965, le haghaidh Tuarastail agus Costais Oifig an Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha, agus Seirbhísí áirithe atá faoi riaradh na hOifige sin, lena n-áirítear Deontas-i-gCabhair.
Le cead an Cheann Chomhairle agus do réir an chleachtais a bhí ann 'sna blianta roimhe seo, tá fúm an Meastachán le haghaidh Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus an Meastachán le haghaidh Comhair Idirnáisiúnta a thógaint le chéile.
'Sé an méid atá san Mheastachán le haghaidh Gnóthaí Eachtracha ná £623,800 agus is méadú glan de £29,700 é seo ar Vóta na bliana 1963/64. Sé an príomh-chúis atá leis an méadú seo ná soláthar breise le haghaidh tuarastal, pá agus liúntas, £23,150, le haghaidh taistil agus fo-chostas, £5,800, agus le haghaidh seirbhísí áirithe ó'n Roinn Poist agus Telegrafa gur gá íoc asta do'n chéad uair. Mar pháirtchúiteamh éigin 'sna méadaithe seo tá laghdú de £6,000 sa tsuim a bheidh ag teastáil le haghaidh Seirbhísí Faisnéise. Níl aon athrú sa tsoláthar le haghaidh Deontas i gcabhair Comhair Cultúra ná san cheann le haghaidh Aíochta Oifigiúla a sheasann ag £14,000 agus £19,000 faoi seach.
Sé is mó cúis leis an méadú sa tsoláthar le haghaidh tuarastal, pá agus liúntas ná bunú misin taidhleoireachta i nDelhi Nua na nInde agus tuilleadh fóirne 'san Ambasáid i Washington, go mór-mhór Comhairleach (Eacnamaíochta) a bheidh i mbun gnóthaí talmhaíochta 'san áit sin. Mar an gcéanna is é an misean i nDelhi Nua is cúis leis an mhéadú san tsoláthar le haghaidh taistil agus fo-chostas.
£160,300 atá san Mheastachán um Chomhar Idirnáisiúnta agus is laghdú é seo de £61,870 ar an mhéid a votáladh i gcóir na bliana 1963/64. San tsuim a votáladh i gcóir na bliana san, áfach, bhí Meastachán Foirlíontach de £69,270, ina raibh ranníocaí de £60,000, na deonfar arís, do Chiste Traenála Daoine ó Thíortha thar lear agus do'n bhFundúireacht Mheireaceánach-Éireannach.
I have already mentioned the establishment of a Diplomatic Mission at New Delhi and the decision to open such a Mission will, I am sure, be welcomed by all. Deputies are aware of the vital position of India in international affairs and of the historic ties and reciprocal sympathy which exist between India and this country. For many years India has maintained diplomatic representation in Ireland which has not been reciprocated until now.
This Mission will be the only one we have in Asia and its establishment will enable us to obtain first-hand information on India and Asia and on the prospects for developing trade in that area.
In regard to our Embassy at Washington I have strengthened the staff there by the addition of an Agricultural Counsellor in view of the growing importance of the United States market for Irish agricultural produce.
Provision of £24,000 is being made under Subhead E in respect of the activities of the Information Section of my Department. This sum is £6,000 less than that provided for in last year's Estimate. Of the total of £24,000, £18,000 is required for the commissioning of films and the publication of the Department's Weekly Bulletin and a further £2,500 is for the purchase of copies of films on Ireland for use by our Missions abroad.
I regret that the commissioning of the two films on modern Ireland to which I have referred on previous occasions, has not yet been brought to a successful conclusion. It was intended that one film would deal with economic progress and the second with social progress. Unfortunately the partnership with which my Department was in negotiation for the economic progress film dissolved and an effort subsequently made with one of the partners for the production of a suitable film has proved unsuccessful. My Department is now considering what further action it should take in this matter.
As regards the second film, that on social progress, my Department following protracted negotiations with an Irish organisation, had hoped to sign a contract for the making of the film during 1963. In May last, however, the organisation informed my Department that the cost would be substantially greater than had been envisaged. A revised estimate for the making of the film was furnished and following examination of a break down of both the original and the revised estimates, my Department informed the organisation in February last that it was willing to sign a contract for this film. The concurrence of the Irish group is awaited but I should like to express the earnest hope that it will be possible to make the film this year. The film is to be in colour and will be of about 30 minutes duration.
The Weekly Bulletin continues to be one of the most important media available to my Department in the carrying out of its information functions abroad. It has a circulation of over 11,000 copies. It is distributed abroad to numerous newspapers and journalists, libraries and Universities, Government officials, people in public life and friends of Ireland, and enables them to keep abreast of significant developments here. I am satisfied that over the years the Bulletin has contributed greatly to the dissemination abroad of a more accurate picture of Ireland and of our economic, social and cultural achievements. During the year several issues of the Bulletin had to be reprinted because of demand from abroad and many of the features and items appearing in the Bulletin were used in foreign newspapers and magazines.
The remainder of the money being provided under Subhead E is to service the many aspects of information work of my Department. The growing interest abroad in Ireland and Irish affairs is reflected in the increasing number of foreign journalists, radio, TV and film publicists who visit Ireland and on whose behalf the Information Section of my Department, in co-operation with the Government Information Bureau and other Government Departments and the State-sponsored bodies, makes arrangements and supplies material to facilitate them in carrying out their assignments. I might mention that our present information is that six important foreign television groups plan to produce programmes on Ireland this year.
In the past year the number of foreign personalities visiting Ireland continued to be at the same high level we have been experiencing in recent years. We are glad, of course, that so many public figures, including world and European statesmen, are nowadays visiting our shores. These visits stimulate abroad an interest in our country and foster understanding between our peoples. We also welcome the increasing number of international groups who are selecting Ireland as the venue for their congresses and conventions. This is a desirable development as apart from promoting a wider general knowledge of Ireland in foreign spheres, the congresses also, of course, constitute a useful economic asset for our trade and tourism. I expect activity in this sector in the coming year to be at about the same level as last year and we are thus making provision for the same figure, £19,000, for this subhead in the Estimate for the current year.
Among the conferences and conventions scheduled to take place in Ireland this year, I might mention the following: European Ministers for Justice Conference, International Railwaymen's Conference, UNICEF Conference, Symposium on Organic Reaction Mechanisms, International Congress on Aviation and Space Medicine, Interflora Conference.
For centuries the law of the sea has been perhaps the most complex of the subjects that fall to be classed as international law. It has undoubtedly been one of the most fruitful sources of dissension and difference between otherwise friendly States. The divergence of interests of States, whether they be economic or strategic, has more than once resulted in actual conflict.
Over the years many attempts have been made to resolve differences concerning this topic on a bilateral or a multilateral basis. No overall agreement, however, was achieved and in The Hague in 1930 a large majority of countries of those attending expressed their preference for a three mile breadth territorial sea. Since then events have moved rapidly and the question of the law of the sea was taken up for intensive study by the International Law Commission. For some ten years the International Law Commission studied the problem at their annual meetings and their great researches were the subject of discussion in the appropriate committee of the United Nations.
At the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1956, the Canadian Delegation put forward for the first time the proposal that the question of exclusive fishery limits should be divorced from that of the territorial seas so that the problem could be approached from the economic rather than the strategic angle. This suggestion was immediately supported by the Irish Delegation.
The work of the International Law Commission while extremely successful in all other spheres did not resolve the question of the permitted breadth under international law of the territorial seas but the work accomplished by the Commission was so successful otherwise that it was decided to hold a conference of plenipotentiaries to draw up a world wide convention on the law of the sea. This conference was held in the spring of 1958 and agreement was achieved in nearly all aspects of the law of the sea save the one already mentioned, namely, the breadth of territorial sea and fishery limits. At that conference the Canadian suggestion for the division of fishery limits from territorial seas was put forward and achieved a considerable measure of success. It was supported by the Irish Delegation.
So far as concerns this country, a great deal of confusion existed as to precisely what was our area of exclusive fishing jurisdiction. While the Constitution laid claim to our territorial seas, the breadth of those seas had never been defined but, in practice, an exclusive fishing limit of three miles measured from the coastline was enforced. In 1959 the ambiguous situation around our coast was resolved with the passing of the Maritime Jurisdiction Act.
That Act enabled us to take advantage of the decision of the International Court of Justice in the Anglo-Norwegian fisheries case which laid down that in certain parts of the coast which are deeply indented and cut into, straight baselines can be employed from which to measure the breadth of the territorial sea. By the making of the Maritime Jurisdiction Act (Straight Baselines) Order, 1959, which came into operation on the 1st January, 1960, a considerable additional area was added to Ireland's exclusive fishing jurisdiction.
The failure of the 1958 United Nations Conference on the law of the sea was discouraging but it had gone so near to success regarding the most difficult problem that it was decided to hold a further conference in an effort to achieve agreement. Accordingly, a second conference was arranged and held in Geneva in the spring of 1960. Deputies will be aware that following an intensive period of negotiation and activity in Geneva, a joint Canadian-US proposal for a six-mile territorial sea plus six further miles of exclusive fishing jurisdiction which would be subject to historic rights for a phased-out period failed to achieve the necessary ?rds majority by only one vote.
Following the failure of the second United Nations Conference, we endeavoured to have the matter raised in OEEC with a view to achieving at least a regional arrangement. This move did not meet with the requisite support at the time.
In 1961 talks were held in The Hague between the North Sea countries with a view to completing a regional agreement. Ireland was represented at these talks. Once again they ended in failure.
On the initiative of the British and Canadian Governments, a suggestion was then made that a convention based on the Canadian-US proposal at Geneva should be opened for signature. We declared our support for this suggestion and various soundings throughout the world were made. However, the proposal was not proceeded with.
Since that time we have been active in making representations to several Governments regarding the possibility of holding another United Nations conference on the law of the sea. These efforts were not received with great enthusiasm by the Governments we approached.
Finally, over a year ago, the British Government indicated that they proposed to extend their exclusive fishery limits and they took the necessary steps to denounce certain agreements to which they were parties which might have prevented them from so doing. In this context they suggested convening an international conference for a further effort to see if agreement could be reached in this field. Our best thanks are due to them for their initiative and for their unstinting efforts to make the conference a success. The result of that conference has been as we all know to produce the draft convention and other documents which were completed at London on March 2nd last.
While for us we can say that the draft agreement enables us to extend our limits with the approval of the other countries concerned, nevertheless it is clear that for other countries a considerable sacrifice has been made in reaching agreement. We would, of course, have liked a worldwide agreement which would have established a universal rule of law but I think we can feel satisfied that after many years' intensive efforts, we have at last succeeded in achieving even a regional agreement with our European neighbours which is no small accomplishment in this very vexed field.
I feel a good measure of credit for these negotiations over the years and for the success achieved is due to the officers of the Department of External Affairs and the Department of Fisheries.
During the past year the practical aims of the Statute of the Council of Europe were furthered in the fields of legal, technical and cultural co-operation, and Ireland has been able to play a full role in this development.
The membership of the organisation was increased by the formal admission, on 6th May, 1963, of Switzerland. Seventeen countries have now signed the Statute.
Legal activities have for more than a year been co-ordinated by the ad hoc Committee on Legal Co-operation, established by the Committee of Ministers in December, 1962, to examine proposals for expanding the Legal Programme of the Council of Europe and to establish a list of fields in which international legal co-operation could suitably be developed. Agreement has now been reached on a legal programme to be operated by a committee of a consultative and technical character to be known as the European Committee on Legal Co-operation. The new body will be charged with implementing, under the Committee of Ministers, the agreed legal programme by consulting such sub-committees of experts as may be set up, and, in co-operation with other international organisations where necessary, may draw up Conventions for signature by member Governments. Deputies will be glad to learn of this promising development, in which our representatives on the Legal Committee have played a full part.
The Government have invited the Ministers of Justice of the Council of Europe member countries to hold their Third Conference in Dublin, and preparations are well advanced for the opening of the Conference on 26th May next. The Conference will afford an opportunity for a further harmonisation of views on international legal co-operation at the highest level.
In the social field, the work of the Council of Europe has gone ahead successfully. A new and interesting development is a scheme to provide fellowships for pupil-instructors and trainee-instructors in vocational education. Initially the fields of mechanics, building construction and the hotel trade will be catered for. Courses are now being organised by the Italian Government on behalf of the Council of Europe, and it is hoped that two Irish candidates will participate in the scheme later this year.
With regard to the Council of Europe Medical Fellowships, Deputies will remember that fourteen fellowships were awarded to Irish applicants last year. Irish specialists continue to play a large part in the scheme, and have been granted for the year 1964 eight awards and two reserve fellowships.
The scheme of fellowships for personnel in social welfare work has also attracted applications from Ireland, and Deputies will be pleased to learn that six of these fellowships have been awarded to Irish men and women, who will thus be enabled to benefit from a period of study and research in various European countries.
I hope the Deputies opposite will benefit from the little research they have been doing this last ten minutes.
Deputies may recall the very successful study group on Community Development held at Gormanston in 1962 under the European Social Welfare Programme and organised jointly by the United Nations and Muintir na Tíre. The European Social Welfare Programme covers problems of social welfare for special groups and the planning and development of national and regional social welfare programmes. It devotes a high degree of priority to the social aspects of rural and urban community development, in which there is considerable interest in this country. An officer of the Department recently attended at Geneva a Conference to draw up a long-term plan for the European Social Welfare Programme in the years 1965-67.
Under the direction of the Council for Cultural Co-operation a large programme of cultural activity is in operation. The Council, acting through its sub-committee on General and Technical Education, held its Third Conference on the Revision of Geography Text-books in Bray, County Wicklow, from 1st to 12th October, 1963. The special subject of this most successful conference was "The Geography of Atlantic Europe". Following the accession of the Holy See to the European Cultural Convention, which I mentioned last year, invitations have been extended to Finland and Portugal to attend as observers the meetings of the Permanent Committee on Higher Education and Research, an important organ of the Council.
In addition to the organisation of cultural exchanges and of travelling exhibitions the Council has conducted studies on applied linguistics and on possible means of harmonising higher education courses and diplomas in all the essential subjects and of providing universities with machinery for international co-operation. In this connection I should mention that Ireland has signed the European Convention on the Academic Recognition of University Qualifications, which has now been signed by all but four of the member-countries of the Council of Europe.
In connection with human rights, Deputies will be interested to know that during the year we signed three additional protocols to the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. One of these Protocols deals with certain civil and political rights which were not covered in the original Convention or in the first Protocol. A further Protocol deals with the right of the Judges of the European Court of Human Rights to give advisory opinions on the Convention and matters arising out of it. The third Protocol deals with certain desirable amendments to the original Convention, relating principally to the procedure before the Commission of Human Rights. The latter two Protocols, namely those on the advisory jurisdiction of the Court and on the amendments to the original Convention, have also been ratified.
The Council continued its useful work in the fields of copyright and patents, broadcasting and television and industrial arbitration. An eventual harmonisation of law and practice in these matters as between European countries is to be anticipated as a result of the Council's labours.
Last May, it was resolved to use the biannual meetings of the Ministers' Committee as an opportunity to hold comprehensive discussions on the problems of European unification. At its meeting in December, 1963, the Committee of Ministers had an exchange of views on co-operation between Europe and North America, the political aspects of European economic integration and the approach to the forthcoming negotiations in the GATT.
A Convention on Consular Relations was concluded at Vienna in April of last year. This Convention is a very comprehensive document and deals with the whole scope of consular relations between States. The Convention is complementary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations signed on behalf of the Government in 1961. My Department is currently considering legislation to give effect to these two Conventions. We were also represented at meetings in Strasbourg in connection with a proposed European Convention on Consular Relations, and the discussions on this subject are still continuing although the field of the Convention has been very much lessened.
There was also signed in Copenhagen in February this year a comprehensive Double Taxation Agreement with Denmark. The Convention will be welcomed as affording double taxation relief to residents of Ireland and also as a factor encouraging the development of trade and other relations between the two countries. I am hopeful also that the Double Taxation Convention with the Federal Republic of Germany will be ratified within the next few weeks. A number of double taxation conventions with other countries is currently under negotiation. Their effect will, in general, be similar to that of the Conventions with Denmark and Germany and those concluded and already in force between this country and Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Sweden.
We are continuing to play a very full part in the activities of the OECD. A significant development last year was the inauguration, in co-operation with the OECD Scientific Research Committee, of a study of scientific and research activities in Ireland. The aim of the study which is at present being carried out by a team of Irish professional economists with financial assistance and advice from OECD is to formulate recommendations for the balanced development of the national research effort over the next 15 years in relation to economic growth. This project is distinct from the OECD study on the long-term needs for educational resources which was started in 1962, though both project teams have the same chairman, Mr. Patrick Lynch, Chairman of Aer Lingus.
Another important event last year was the holding of the First OECD Conference of Ministers of Science, which was attended by the Minister for Education. This extends to four the number of groups within the OECD which meet regularly at Ministerial level. The other groups are, of course, the Council at Ministerial level—which I attended in November last—the Committee for Agriculture at Ministerial level, and the European Conference of Ministers of Transport.
Deputies will recall that, when moving a Supplementary Estimate for International Co-operation recently, I reviewed at some length Ireland's assistance to developing countries. My Department continues to co-operate with the United Nations and the OECD in providing, firstly, facilities for nationals of developing countries to study administration, management and technical skills here and, secondly, experts to serve in these countries.
On a direct bilateral basis, the main development in the last year has been the acceptance here for training in central and local administration of a group of Northern Rhodesians. The setting up of the Overseas Trainee Fund will enable us to finance, either by way of grants or loans, schemes for developing countries which might not otherwise have been able to afford them.
The Institute of Public Administration are co-operating in this work. The United Nations has expressed interest in and appreciation of what we are doing in these fields and is prepared to assist the Institute in training instructors for the proposed Graduate School of Public Administration and in building up a library. I understand that the Institute propose to associate the division which deals with the training of nationals of developing countries with the name of Dag Hammarskjold. In this way a fitting memorial to the late Secretary-General of the United Nations will be provided in Ireland.
Since this Estimate was debated here last year the world has moved away from those conditions of crisis and hazard which gave rise to very justifiable concern for the maintenance of peaceful relations between the major powers. The easing of tension which grew out of the resolution of the Cuban crisis was a most welcome development. It gave almost universal satisfaction that the nuclear powers saw their way to avail themselves of this improved climate to explore with a common purpose the possibilities of halting the arms race and of putting an end to the danger of radioactive fallout. These efforts culminated in the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed in Moscow on 5th August, 1963. Ireland signed the Treaty without delay and in December our instruments of ratification were deposited in the capitals of the three original parties. This Treaty was rightly acclaimed as the first significant step towards removing prime causes of tension in the world and was made possible by the realisation of the major powers concerned of the catastrophic potentialities of the spread and development of nuclear armaments.
The spirit of dêtente which the Treaty generated between East and West was reflected in the 18th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations which expressed satisfaction at the conclusion of the Treaty and urged its general acceptance. The Treaty undoubtedly helped to prepare the way for the almost unanimous adoption of resolutions aimed at ending all nuclear tests, and for unanimous decisions on banning the orbiting of nuclear weapons in outer space and on legal principles for the peaceful use of outer space. The most important items considered by the Assembly during the session might be grouped under the headings of disarmament, decolonisation and development. During his official visit to the United States last October the Taoiseach addressed the General Assembly and chose these three topics as the main themes of his address.
The road to the realisation of the ideal of disarmament is a long and difficult one. The measures which offer most promise are those which help to build mutual confidence between nations and those which help to regulate and contain national armaments. Valuable work in these directions has been carried out by the Eighteen Nation Disarmament Committee which last month resumed its sittings at Geneva. I hope that progress can be made on at least some of the important measures which the Committee has been considering. It is our intention to support in every way open to us the endeavours of the Committee in this regard and in particular their efforts to negotiate an international agreement to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons on the lines of the Irish resolution which was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly in its 16th session.
During the past year relative calm has prevailed in the Congo and the United Nations has largely fulfilled its mandate under the Security Council's resolutions which were to maintain the territorial integrity and political independence of the country; to help the Central Government to restore law and order; to prevent civil war; to secure the withdrawal and evacuations of all military, para military and advisory personnel not under United Nations auspices, and all mercenaries; and to provide technical assistance to the newly independent State.
The retraining and modernisation of the Congolese National Army and of the police is of vital importance for the future stability of the country and, while much progress has been made, it may take some time to achieve the compete effectiveness of the programmes undertaken with these objectives in view. The gradual improvement of the situation is, however, best exemplified by the fact that the Secretary-General was able to reduce the size of the United Nations Force from 20,000 officers and men to the present figure of just over 5,000, including the Irish contingent of 355. I should like to pay a tribute again to the high standards of honour and conduct which our troops in the Congo have continued to maintain and for their loyal devotion to their duty. They have been warmly welcomed by the local population wherever they went and we may be justly proud of them. During his visit to Dublin last summer, Mr. Adoula, the Prime Minister of the Congo, expressed deep appreciation on behalf of his Government and people for all our contributions to efforts of the United Nations in his country.
The main responsibility for law and order throughout the Congo now rests with the Congolese Army and police with guidance and assistance from the United Nations force particularly for rescue work. The General Assembly has appropriated funds to maintain the military operation until 30th June next but there is no guarantee that the Congolese Government, in the increasingly difficult internal political situation which they face, will not find it necessary again to request that the operation be extended. Meanwhile, one of the main tasks of the United Nations and its Specialised Agencies in the Congo is the provision of economic and technical assistance to enable the country to meet its unprecedented needs and train its people to manage their own affairs.
On the subject of economic development, the discussions at the eighteenth Session of the General Assembly concentrated on the Conference on Trade and Development which will open in Geneva on 23rd March. That Conference will deal with the basic problem of the ever widening gap between the living standards of the developed and the less developed countries. It is hoped that the Conference will lead to improved terms for international trade and to better opportunities for economic growth, particularly for developing countries. The Conference has important implications for our country and we are sending a delegation to it.
We continue to support projects connected with the United Nations Development Decade including the World Food Programme and Freedom from Hunger Campaign and have maintained, and where possible increased, our voluntary assistance and pre-investment funds to its humanitarian and refugee programmes. Great thanks are due to the Red Cross and to the Chairman and the efficient Committee for their magnificent work in collecting funds for the under-developed countries.
In the debate on the recent Supplementary Estimate for International Co-operation I dwelt at some length on the financial problems faced by the Organisation as a result of the failure of a number of Member States to contribute towards the cost of the peace-keeping in the Congo and the Middle East. Peace-keeping operations are costly and are dependent on the financial viability of the Organisation. We continue to take a very active interest in seeing that the principle of the collective responsibility of members for the financing of these operations prevails and is in fact acknowledged by all. The defaulting members will ultimately lose their votes in the General Assembly under Article 19 of the Charter when their arrears equal or exceed two full years of their contributions to the expenses of the organisation. I hope that agreement can be reached on the payment of all arrears of contributions before Member States begin to lose their votes.
Ireland continues to be represented on the Statistical Commission of the Economic and Social Council and on the Committee for International Co-operation Year. We have also been elected to serve on the committee set up under a unanimously adopted Irish resolution to promote the teaching, study, dissemination and wider application of international law. The Irish representative has been nominated Rapporteur of the Committee.
I come now to the two motions which are being debated with these Estimates and I am glad to see that the Leader of the Opposition sent out for the books to which I referred in this speech, copies of which they got before I started to speak three-quarters of an hour ago.
The descriptive general information handbook "Facts about Ireland" was published at a cost of approximately £9,700 for 56,000 copies. The figure for costs covers the printing, design, photographic and other work. The handbook was entirely written and edited in my Department, other Departments being consulted on the various sections with which they were concerned. Therefore no fees were paid for writing or editing it or any section of it.
I may say that the need for a descriptive general information handbook of this kind has been keenly felt at home and abroad for many years. Indeed last May we had to print what was in fact a non-illustrated and abbreviated version of the handbook to cater for the demand for some information on Ireland from journalists and others at the time of the late President Kennedy's visit. The demand for the handbook has been much beyond our expectations and already 14,000 copies have been sold. In addition, just over 1,000 complimentary copies have been distributed in Ireland to members of the Oireachtas, newspapers and periodicals, foreign Embassies, Government Departments and universities and libraries, and 1,500 copies have been sent to our Missions abroad for free distribution. In order to effect the widest possible distribution abroad, our Missions have been instructed to promote its sale commercially. Arrangements for the sale of the handbook in the United States and in Britain are already well advanced.
I want to deal at this point with some of the allegations and criticisms that have been made to justify the motions which we are now debating in connection with this Estimate calling for the withdrawal of the handbook.
First of all, let us be clear about the purpose and nature of the handbook—about what it is and what it is not. It is not a history of Ireland and makes no pretence at being so. There are only about 1,400 words in the chapter in the first half of the handbook which gives a sketch of Irish history from ancient to modern times and only about 340 words in the brief section devoted to the period from 1916 to the end of the Civil War. No producer of a handbook of this type, which is designed to attract the foreigner, who has little or no desire to learn Irish history, and to arouse in him an interest in modern Ireland, would attempt to feed him forcibly with lengthy chapters on Irish history or a detailed account of our Civil War. As is appropriate in a general information publication of this kind, the main emphasis and space is devoted to explaining the constitutional organisation of the State and to describing the social, economic and cultural life and structure of Ireland today.
It is interesting to note that in the somewhat similar productions, namely, the "Saorstát Éireann Official Handbook"—the Leader of the Opposition sent out for it—here it is, produced by the Cumann na nGaedheal Government, and here is "Ireland an Introduction" published by the first Coalition Government in 1950——
