asked the Minister for Local Government where the Myles Wright Report on the Dublin Region was printed.
21.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wright Report.
20.
andMr. Ryan asked the Minister for Local Government the cost of (a) preparing and (b) printing the Myles Wright Report on the Dublin Region; and the number of copies printed.
22.
andMr. Ryan asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the considerable indignation caused by the printing in England of the Myles Wright Report on the Dublin Region; and if he will take steps to ensure that further issues will be printed in this country.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 21 and 22 together. The decision to have the Advisory Plan and Final Report on the Dublin Region printed in Liverpool was taken after full consideration of the position in regard to having it printed in this country, including the response to the invitations of quotations by the Stationery Office. The decision was dictated by considerations of cost and time and by the need for close liaison between the printers and the author of the Report.
The Report is in two parts. Part I has already been published and Part 2 is in course of printing. The cost of printing 3,000 copies of Part 1 and 1,000 copies of part 2, on the basis of the accepted quotation, is £4,300 with a contingency provision of 2½ per cent. There are no current proposals to print further copies. The cost of preparing the Advisory Plan and Final Report, including the consultant's fee and organisational expenses, was £31,500.
The question of payment for work incidental to the printing of the Report, which was undertaken by the consultant outside his original terms of reference, has not been finalised.
Could the Minister say what it would have cost to have this Report printed in Ireland?
I cannot say exactly. The only quotation received by the Stationery Office was for £5,800 and the period which was asked for the printing was too long. Of course, there are also incidentals to that cost which would have to be taken into account, such as consultation with the consultant in connection with the printing.
Why was there such urgency in regard to the printing of this Report?
It was advisable to have it available when development plans for the different areas concerned in the Report were being considered.
What delay, if any, would have ensued if the order had been executed in Ireland?
The time quoted in the tender accepted was six weeks and 13 weeks was the time quoted in the other tender.
What difference would it make?
It would make a considerable difference. It would not, in fact, be available for consideration in conjunction with development plans for the areas covered in the report.
Did the Minister ever hear of the Buy Irish Campaign?
Would the Minister say how many Irish firms were asked to tender?
There was only one which quoted. Four firms were invited and only one tendered.
Only four were asked to tender. Surely the one which tendered could have been accepted?
As I said, there were other reasons as well. There was the fact that there had to be consultations between the consultant and the printing firm during the actual printing.
You had to suit Professor Wright's convenience.
To a certain extent. There would also be extra cost involved anyway.
On top of the £30,000 odd.
In the Minister's defence, it could be said that most of the development of Dublin will be done by the British, so they might as well have the plans printed in England.
There is no question of any Government decision having been taken on the basis——
It is a scandal.
Is the Minister aware that the effect of this Government decision is to create in the public mind the belief that Government exhortations to buy Irish are only shallow hypocrisy? In a simple matter of this kind, you would not buy Irish.
And they tell us to talk Irish.
It was a question of the time, the cost and the practicability of arranging for the necessary consultation between Professor Wright and the printers.
There are thousands of Irish printers.
Did the Minister, in fact, know anything about this until the job was done?
Of course I did.
So did we. It is appalling.