asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if, having regard to the national need for all Irish concerns to buy Irish goods and to engage Irish services, he will have discussions with the National Dairy Publicity Council to ensure that only Irish advertising services are used in the council's advertising campaign.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Dairy Publicity Council.
41.
The matter raised by the Deputy was fully considered by the council before employing its advertising agents and is kept constantly in mind. I should explain that the council employs an Irish advertising agency which operates for the council in conjunction with a non-Irish agency with considerable experience in the particular field of dairy products promotion.
Is the Minister aware of the serious disappointment amongst the advertising world in general here that the services of Irish advertisers were not solely relied upon to advertise the sale of Irish milk and creamery products? Can he say what justification there is for going outside this country to advertise Irish products?
The compromise adopted here seems to me to be a reasonable one. As the Deputy probably knows, when a body of this sort decides to employ an agency it usually invites presentation from a number of agencies. This council did that and it seemed to them that the presentation put forward by the non-Irish agency was the best. However, they decided to employ the non-Irish agency and the next best Irish agency jointly. This arrangement was adopted and seems to have worked satisfactorily. I should mention that this council was the first council to incorporate the Buy Irish slogan in its advertisements.
We have come to an historic juncture when we have to get Englishmen to advertise the buying of Irish goods. There is no confidence in Irish advertising, that is what it amounts to.
There is an Irish agency.