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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 17 Jun 1980

Vol. 322 No. 5

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Circulation of Taoiseach's Speech.

25.

andMr. P. Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the cost of circulating a copy of the Taoiseach's speech to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis with the current issue of the Foreign Affairs magazine Ireland Today, the extent of the circulation; and if he considers this circulation of a speech made to a political party conference, at State expense, appropriate.

The cost of producing and circulating copies of the Taoiseach's speech to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis with the February issue of Ireland Today was £2,010. Copies of the speech were circulated to 18,000 regular recipients of the magazine and to 750 other people abroad. The publication and circulation, in insert form, of statements and speeches by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs on subjects of national and international importance are a regular feature of the magazine. The first speech by the new Taoiseach, dealing with Government policy on several current political, social and economic issues, was clearly important and it was therefore appropriate that people abroad should see it.

Will the Minister state if it is the intention that the Fianna Fáil Party will pay the £2,000 incurred in publishing their leader's speech to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis?

In relation to the Deputy's supplementary question, I should like to point out that in 1973 alone——

I asked the Minister a question and I want an answer.

——there were four such statements by Deputy Cosgrave when Taoiseach that were circulated on four separate occasions in four such publications.

The Minister should reply to my question and not try to go off in this blind alley——

I am calling the next question. The Deputy cannot make statements to the Chair.

The Deputy is entitled to get a reply to his question.

I ask the Deputy to resume his seat.

Numerous statements by Deputy Cosgrave on Northern Ireland were distributed abroad in booklet form to the embassies throughout the period of office of the Coalition Government. In one year four such separate statements were issued at this level of cost and with this kind of circulation.

I am calling Deputy Horgan.

I asked a question but the Minister did not give me a reply.

I have called Deputy Horgan.

I take particular exception to the manner in which the Chair has dealt with my question.

The Deputy may not make allegations against the Chair. He has been on his feet for the greater part of the past hour. I ask him now to resume his seat. I have called Deputy Horgan.

It goes beyond the bounds of legitimate hyperbole.

The Chair must run Question Time and the leader of Fine Gael should give the Chair some support in the matter. I have asked Deputy O'Keeffe to resume his seat.

I should be given the same rights as anybody else.

I have already called Deputy Horgan. The Deputy should resume his seat and await his turn.

Will the Minister for Foreign affairs continue in the tradition of which he has given us details by circularising in the next issue of Ireland Today the full text of the Taoiseach's “Panorama” interview?

That is an interesting question.

The decision will be twice as interesting.

Deputy Horgan's question does not appear to be a genuine supplementary question. I am calling Deputy O'Keeffe.

Presumably from the Minister's non-reply to my first and only supplementary question the Fianna Fáil Party are not going to reimburse the State for the £2,000 that has been misspent in circulating the speech?

Of course not.

In regard to the defensive reply of the Minister, will he state if any of the items circulated in 1974 included a copy of a speech made by the then Taoiseach, Deputy Cosgrave, to his party conference.

Four such statements were made in 1973.

Such statements? What does "such" mean?

Is the Minister saying that the statements contained a copy of Deputy Cosgrave's speech to the Ard-Fheis, or is he referring to something else?

They were circulated with exactly the same kind of circulation as in the present case. There were four such statements in one year.

I am sure the Minister knows we hold only one Ard-Fheis each year—

I am allowing one final supplementary on this matter.

Does the Minister not agree that the situation in which he has been placed by this question illustrates the undesirability of the only policy statement by the Government on Northern Ireland being in the form of a party political speech?

There is no question of it being a party political speech.

There is no more party political speech than that at the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis.

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