asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether having regard to recent statements affecting the Czechoslovakia Trade Mission to Ireland he has caused inquiries to be made into the nature and extent of their activities, and the materials being sold to Irish citizens by Czechoslovakia; and whether he proposes to request the withdrawal of the mission.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Czechoslovakia Trade Mission.
17.
I have seen no evidence to substantiate allegations recently reported in the Press. The question of requesting withdrawal of the mission, therefore, does not arise.
Would the Minister say what were the results of the inquiries which he caused to be made last year with regard to this mission? Is he aware that one of the persons who recently directed attention to the peculiar activities of this mission had part of his property seriously and substantially maliciously damaged within a few days of making his first report, and can the Minister say what inquiries he has made as to the possible relationship between this dastardly act and the complaints that were made about this mission which certainly is far more expensive and extensive than the paltry trade with Czechoslovakia justifies?
I think the Deputy will agree that any damage, malicious as alleged in the question, is a matter for somebody else to investigate. This type of inquiry is normally treated confidentially and I would not feel free publicly to state what the results were. Of course I would be bound to take action if the inquiries showed evidence such as is suggested by the Deputy.
Is it not rather peculiar that there should be a four-person trade mission for a trade which we understand to be no more than £1.4 million annually in imports from Czechoslovakia? There are many countries which have trade with us far in excess of that which have no missions here at all.
Any investigations we have made have not disclosed any reasons for interfering with the mission. As the Deputy knows, we are in the course of trying to promote trade with those eastern European countries. Their method of promoting trade is their business so long as they do not interfere with us.
We have nobody in Czechoslovakia because we are not engaged in political activities.
We should have somebody over there.
That is right.