asked the Taoiseach the date on which the Government first entered into a public relations contract with Markpress; the amount of the contract; the date on which the contract was renewed; and the amount of the contract renewal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Markpress Contract.
5.
The initial contract with Markpress ran from the 15th November, 1971. The present contract is for a period of one year which commenced on the 15th May, 1972. It is not the practice to divulge the amount of the contract fee in such cases.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary agree that in a matter of major national importance concerning the official information communicating system of the State, it is essential that the amount of such contract fees should be known publicly and to all Members of the House?
In fact, the Taoiseach already gave the information in the context of the cost. He gave the expenditure from public funds on the Markpress operation. He indicated in reply to a Parliamentary Question on 28th May that the cost to date was £28,000. Earlier it had been indicated that the cost to 31st March, 1972, was £20,000. The total paid to date from public funds is £35,000.