asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that a State-sponsored company has placed an order with a British firm for the manufacture, printing and supply of five million tickets; whether there is any obligation on State-sponsored companies to purchase Irish goods in preference to goods of foreign manufacture; and if he will make an investigation and issue a statement on the matter, having regard to the need for good example to be given by State-sponsored companies in the current Buy Irish campaign.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Order for Printing of Tickets.
121.
I am not aware that any of the State-sponsored companies for which I am responsible has placed the order referred to by the Deputy. I expect these companies to give preference to Irish-manufactured goods in making their purchases and I have no doubt that they do so.
The Minister will appreciate I did not ask whether he was responsible for the particular company or not. Is the Minister aware that CIE have placed an order for 5,000,000 bus tickets manufactured in England and that they have given the agency for advertising on them to another English company? The Minister for Industry and Commerce is supposed to have responsibility for industries in this country but he is not showing any great concern for them in the way he is doing his job.
I am not aware of that nor would I like to comment on it without checking it.
Will the Minister inquire from his colleague, the Minister for Transport and Power, or Dr. Tod Andrews, or somebody in CIE about this matter?
I should like to know if it is true before I do anything.
Would the Minister not accept it from me? I have a letter from the British advertising agency in question which has been circulated to hundreds of business houses in this city canvassing for money from them to pay for Irish advertising on British-produced bus tickets?
Why did the Deputy not ask a question about that?
Would the Deputy swear to the fact that they asked them that?
I accept the bona fides of this letter or else it is some colossal hoax.
The letter does say that the tickets are produced in Britain?
Yes, manufactured in Britain.
The letter says that?
Yes.
An extraordinary statement.
It is not an extraordinary statement. This is an example of hypocritical activity on the part of the Government, telling everyone to buy Irish and doing damn all about it themselves.
Has the Deputy a question to put? He cannot make speeches.