(Dublin Central) asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs where the stamps to commemorate the canonisation of St. Oliver Plunkett and the recent issue in connection with Architectural Heritage Year were printed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Commemorative Stamp.
43.
The particular stamps mentioned were printed in England. The production of postage stamps is arranged by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and, in the ordinary way, stamps are printed in the Stamping Branch of that office. I understand that the commissioners were unable with the resources available to print the two issues in question and, therefore, invited competitive tenders from firms approved by them for security printing work.
May I ask the Minister whether the firms asked to submit tenders included Irish firms?
There were no Irish firms?
The Revenue Commissioners invited tenders from firms approved by them for security printing work—six in the case of the architectural stamp and three in the case of the Plunkett stamp. There is no outside printing establishment in this country other than the Stamping Branch which is approved by the commissioners for security stamp printing work. Two tenders were received in each case and both contracts were awarded to a British firm which submitted the lowest tenders.
I imagine people will have something to say about the allegation that there are no firms which can be approved by the Revenue Commissioners as security printing places in this country.
The Deputy knows more about the Revenue Commissioners' practice than——
Yes, but I must confess I do not know the details of printers and those who can be approved as security risks or otherwise, but those who do will no doubt pursue this matter. What I want to ask the Minister at the moment is, can he indicate why the Revenue Commissioners did not have available to them the resources to carry out this work at the time?
I do not think it is for me to reply on behalf of the Revenue Commissioners.
Is the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs responsible for the manner in which postage stamps are printed or is the Minister for Finance?
Stamps are printed in the Stamping Branch of the Revenue Commissioners normally, and when the Revenue Commissioners are unable to do it themselves they invite tenders from other firms and, as in many other cases, this is a practice which has continued for many years and which the gentlemen opposite questioned only when they found themselves in Opposition.
That may be a very interesting observation but it is getting away from the point. May I ask the Minister again why the Revenue Commissioners at the time in question did not have the necessary resources available? There is no allegation in that question; it is merely a question of fact.
The stamp programme for the current year originally provided for the issue of seven special stamps. An eight was added in April last—which is an unusually late date for a decision on a stamp—when the Government decided that a stamp should be issued to mark the canonisation of St. Oliver Plunkett. The Revenue Commissioners, who arrange for the production of our stamps, advised that, in the context of total demand on their printing facilities—of course they do other Government security printing work apart from printing postage stamps—they would be capable of printing a maximum of six postage stamp issues in 1975, and that only with the working of prolonged overtime. They said that there was no alternative, therefore, to the employment of outside printers to produce two of the year's special issues.
Could the Minister indicate whether at any time in the past postage stamps have been printed in this country outside the Revenue Commissioners?
I do not know.