asked the Minister for Defence if 14 armoured cars are being imported from Sweden; whether they are new cars; and the price of each of them.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Armoured Car Imports.
24.
As I have already indicated in replies to questions in November and December last, it would not be in the interests of security to disclose information of the kind sought by the Deputy.
Is this not a case of security being improperly invoked in order to deprive Members of this House of information which they are entitled to seek and to get? Would the Parliamentary Secretary like to comment on the Swedish article in relation to the 15 Unimarks, that the whole consignment was bought by a dealer for £4,000, that they are costing the Irish Government £4,600 each——
He must be a Taca man.
——that they are not new, that they are 11 years old, and that they have worked on Swedish pig farms for some considerable time? Would the Parliamentary Secretary like to tell that story to the House?
The Deputy has his own story. Let him continue. It is like a fairytale.
These things have happened in the past.
I do not know whether Hans Christian Andersen was a Swede or a Dane, but he certainly came from Scandinavia. This is a Scandinavian fairytale.
I am asking the Parliamentary Secretary to give the House the information it is entitled to get.
(Interruptions.)
Could I ask the Parliamentary Secretary——
The Deputy has already asked that question twice.
It is a facetious question.
May I ask how is it regarded as consistent with security to tell us what it costs to buy a defence ship and the guns that go with it and not consistent with security to tell us what was paid for the secondhand armoured cars that have been used on pig farms?
May I point out that security is a serious matter and not one for levity? If there are rumours abroad of the kind based on the article that Deputy Clinton has mentioned an authoritative statement should be made on the matter as soon as possible because it is no joking matter to have any rumours relating to the efficiency of the Army circulating at this time?
I am very glad that the Deputy mentioned that this is not a joking matter. I am very glad that he appreciates, even at this late stage, that this is not a joking matter. I am not in the business, as a Deputy of this House, to deny rumours. This arises out of the Deputy's question. I would suggest, further, that the question asked by Deputy Clinton is based purely on a fairytale produced by some fertile, anonymous, journalistic mind.
I am calling Question 25. We cannot discuss this matter further.
In view of the fact that the Parliamentary Secretary said that this was a matter on which he could not give information because he could not reveal details, as it was a defence matter, is he aware that a BBC camera team gave a run-down on our defences on the Border, including the age, price and usefulness of our existing defence weapons, apparently with the authority of the Irish Government because it was never corrected? Is he aware of that?
I am not so aware.
(Interruptions.)