asked the Taoiseach if he will make a comprehensive statement on the apparent breach of confidentiality in relation to highly secret Government budgetary documents and who has access to these documents.
Private Notice Question. - Breach of Confidentiality.
I have investigated the circumstances in which a document containing preliminary and interim data on capital spending proposals for 1982 came to appear in this morning's Irish Times. I have established that, owing to an error in distribution by my Department, this document was circulated without the customary stringent precautions. As part of this circulation process it was handed to a secretarial assistant dealing with press matters who assumed that it was a published document, of which he would be entitled to give a copy to a journalist.
I have given instructions for an immediate review of Cabinet procedures with a view to ensuring that such a serious breach of confidentiality will not recur.
In view of the seriousness of this admission, can the Taoiseach say if this person was one of the many non-established civil servants appointed by this administration? What disciplinary action, if any, is being taken? Can he confirm if these figures are accurate?
I do not consider the last point was proper. The decision that the document be circulated and the physical circulation was carried out by members of the administrative permanent civil service.
Was it a non-established civil servant who divulged it to the press? What disciplinary action, if any, is being taken?
The problem arose because in the distribution process a copy was handed in error to a secretarial assistant dealing with press matters, who assumed it was a published document of which a copy could be given to a journalist. The distribution process was not carried out as it should have been and I am sure it will not happen again.
Does the Taoiseach appreciate that this is one of the most serious admissions ever made on an item of such confidentiality? The Taoiseach refused to answer my third supplementary, but he must appreciate that a certain amount of confusion may have been created in the public mind because of the revelations in this confidential Government document. In view of that, does he not appreciate that there is an obligation on him and his Government to confirm immediately whether the figures mentioned are correct?
I must confine myself to repeating that the document was one containing preliminary and interim data on capital spending proposals for 1982.
How can the Taoiseach stand over such a statement? The Taoiseach admitted that this document contained information of cuts sought by the Minister for Finance and in another column the agreed cuts. Obviously, such figures could only be agreed around the Cabinet table by Government Ministers. Surely that means it is more than preliminary and, as a result, we are now satisfied it has some official status. For that reason we demand a statement from the Taoiseach whether the figures are accurate. Obviously, they are more than preliminary.
I have given a statement and the document is one which is preliminary and interim.
The Taoiseach did not reply to my question about what disciplinary action, if any, will be taken.
I have taken no decision on that matter.
When will the Taoiseach take a decision on that matter?
That is a matter which I will consider, whether any action should be taken because of the series of errors involved. I have only just established the facts and I have given the House a full account immediately, as I thought was proper in the circumstances.
It is rather interesting that the Taoiseach has said it was circulated by a press officer of the administration but I should like to know how it happened that it was only given to one newspaper, one part of the media. It is obvious that the Tánaiste is now prompting the Taoiseach but I am sure the Taoiseach is quite capable of answering that question himself. How come this was only given to one newspaper? Perhaps the Tánaiste has some information to give to the House on this matter?
I do not propose to make any further statement. I have explained fully the circumstances in which it happened and I will take steps to ensure that it does not recur.
What specific steps will be taken in this instance?
I have dealt with that point.
The importance of this mistake can be judged by the fact that most of the Cabinet arrived here in an unusual way to hear the Taoiseach's reply on this matter.
It is all imagination.
The Tánaiste does not appear here too often, whatever about the other Cabinet Members.
Including the Taoiseach there are ten members of the Cabinet present for the Taoiseach's statement and rightly so because it is a major issue about the confidentiality of a Government decision. I should like to ask the Taoiseach if the cuts that were apparently agreed by each Minister on the original Estimates on capital are the final decisions of the Government. What comment has the Taoiseach to make on those cuts? How will it affect the capital programme of the Government for next year?
I have already explained that the data are preliminary and interim and if the Deputy had listened he would have taken that in.
Are the figures accurate or not? We will know that within a couple of weeks when they have to be printed finally.
Did the Taoiseach say that more than one newspaper got this or did only one newspaper get this leaked document?
My statement referred to figures which appeared in this morning's issue of The Irish Times.
So only one newspaper got it? The others did not get it or did they refuse to publish it?
I have only seen it in one newspaper.
Why was that question not pursued once it had been established who was responsible for the leak?
We had better move on to the next business. I have given Members plenty of latitude. There were 11 supplementary questions on this and I am sure Deputies agree that that is sufficient. We must go to the next business.
I have one final question.
I want an assurance that this is the final supplementary question.
I should like to thank the Chair for his fair handling of the matter but I should like to ask the Taoiseach a final question. He has conceded that a serious breach has taken place by an officer and he has conceded that he will be considering what action, disciplinary or otherwise, should be taken, and I should like to ask the Taoiseach to say when he will tell the House the action he has decided to take, if any?
No.