asked the Taoiseach whether any directorships or other positions in any business or other concern are held by Government Ministers; and, if so, if he will state their nature.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ministers of Government.
1.
No Minister holds any position that could reasonably be regarded as interfering, or being incompatible, with the full and proper discharge by him of the duties of his office.
Can the Taoiseach say if Ministers are allowed to hold directorships while holding office as Minister?
There is no ordinance or decree against it but there is a convention and I am satisfied that the members of this Government comply with that convention.
The convention is still being adhered to?
Is it the same convention as obtained when the now President was Taoiseach?
It is the same convention as operated when Deputy Costello was Taoiseach and as regards the members of his Cabinet, even though some of them did hold offices, some as lecturers and professors, he said, too, that none of those Ministers had any positions that were incompatible with the proper discharge of their duties.
Has the convention been the same for the last 25 years?
There is no member of this Government who is governing director of the Irish Press, if that is what the Deputy is worried about.
No, I did not have the Irish Press in mind at all.
I should like to find out from the Taoiseach what is the convention and if the Taoiseach is fully satisfied that all his Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries have given him full and frank answers. Does he believe that any of them may be holding directorships under the name of "Mr. Smith" or "Mr. A" or "Mr. B" and not revealing that information to the Taoiseach?
I did not conduct an inquisition into the private affairs of every Minister. As I said already, I am satisfied that none of them has any office or receives any emolument whatever that could interfere in any way with the proper discharge of his functions as Minister. I was elected president of a golf club last week. Does the Deputy regard that as being in any way incompatible?
No.
Could the Taoiseach say the precise wording of this convention?
There is no precise wording.
Could the Taoiseach tell us what it is?
That Ministers are expected as soon as they take office to relinquish any directorships that they have in companies. That has been done and has always been done, as far as I know. I do not think there is any precise wording to it. It is an understanding or convention. I do not know what the Deputies opposite are trying to get at. If they have any specific charge to make, let them make it here and we will answer it.
Could the Taoiseach inform the House how many have relinquished directorships since July or since the Government took office?
I do not believe that any one of them had a directorship that they had since July.
Had they got them after resigning from this House—21 of them?
There have been two new Ministers who, as far as I know, never held a directorship in any company. Therefore, there was no directorship to relinquish.
Could I ask the Taoiseach——
Question No. 2. There are 116 questions on the Order Paper and I would ask Deputies to allow questions to continue as quickly as possible in order to dispose of them. We have had six supplementaries on this one question.
I will put down a question on the point myself.
We have had this "corruption" right through several Dála and it has got them nowhere. The people do not believe them.
If they want to know about corruption, I will tell them.
Order.