asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the policy of the Government in regard to the use by members of the Government of travel facilities on planes used by foreign Governments for their own members.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Government Travel Facilities.
133.
The normal practice of members of the Government when travelling abroad is to use ordinary —and, where possible, Irish—commercial transport. Courtesy requires that, on a formal official or State visit, travel facilities offered in the host country by its Government be accepted. Moreover, should a Minister happen to be invited to accompany a foreign colleague on a journey in a plane belonging to the latter's State, I can see value in this course if it enables the Minister to make use of travel time to have further exchanges of view, which are not necessarily less valuable for taking place in an aircraft.
Does the Minister consider it appropriate that an Irish Minister should travel in a plane reserved by a foreign Government for their own use and, in particular, does he consider it appropriate that an Irish Minister should travel in an RAF jet reserved for that purpose?
The practice is well established. In 1966 Mr. Aiken, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, travelled in a Canadian Government jet with Ambassador Cremin, Mr. B.T. Nolan, as well as Canadian officials, from New York to Ottawa and back. On 7th August, 1968, the then Taoiseach, Deputy Lynch, accompanied by the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and their wives travelled from New Delhi to Agra, Taj Mahal, in an Indian Government aircraft. In June, 1971, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Hillery, travelled from Luxembourg to Paris in a French Government aircraft at the invitation of the then French Foreign Minister, Mr. Schumann; both were accompanied by senior officials of their respective Ministries. They were returning from an EEC ministerial meeting in Luxembourg and Mr. Schumann offered a lift to Dr. Hillery. I am not prepared to condemn Deputy Lynch, Dr. Hillery or Mr. Aiken for what seems to me sensible actions on their part, enabling them to have useful consultations with the Ministers concerned. I should add that on 15th March, 1973, I travelled from London to Brussels on a British Government aircraft at the invitation of the British Foreign Secretary, Sir Alec Douglas Home, to attend a meeting in Brussels of the Council of Ministers. This enabled me to have a useful discussion with Sir Alec which would not have been possible otherwise at the time because we had only a brief time at Downing Street with the Prime Minister. I think all of this has been wise and useful practices and that Messrs. Aiken, Lynch, Hillery and FitzGerald behaved quite properly.
Is it not the height of hypocrisy for the Government to announce with a flourish their decision not to acquire a plane for official use on business abroad and then have members of the Government scrounging lifts? Have it one way or the other; do not pretend one thing and do another thing.
This Government do not consider that the cost of an executive jet in capital and current expenditure is worthwhile.
The Minister would rather scrounge lifts. As far as many Irish people are concerned they would rather Government Ministers travelled under our own steam——
I am calling Question No. 134.
The Government would prefer to scrounge——
For years and years the former Government allowed British——
(Interruptions.)
I am calling Question No. 134.
The practice has been for Irish Ministers to travel from time to time in aircraft of other Governments with the Ministers concerned, and even in some cases without them. In this instance it was the one opportunity to have a useful discussion with the British Foreign Secretary. I cannot go along with the rather peculiar double standards Deputy Colley spoke about.
The double standards are clearly on the other side of the House.