asked the Minister for Justice if he will request the Garda Commissioner to provide the file concerning a Garda investigation into a postal irregularity where a letter addressed to a person in Horseleap, Moate, County Offaly, was alleged to have been delivered in error, opened in error and posted again in circumstances which the Garda described as being in good faith; and if he will explain why the Garda did not explain to the constituent to whom the correspondence was in the first instance correctly addressed the circumstances of the incident.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Postal Delivery Incident.
10.
(Limerick East): The answer to the first part of the question is ‘no’. It would not be appropriate for the Garda to make a file available as suggested. The position is that a complaint was made which effectively suggested that a crime had, or might have, been committed. This was investigated by the Garda and they found no evidence that a crime had been committed. On the contrary, they were of opinion that what occurred was an error and that it happened in good faith.
As regards the second part of the question, the Deputy will recall that I gave him the information to the above effect in a letter dated 17 January. There is nothing the Garda could add to that.
Is there anything in the Garda Commissioner's file about the reposting of a letter in a franked Oireachtas envelope by a member of the general public which the Garda described as being done in good faith. How did a member of the public get that envelope to repost the letter? Was this franked Oireachtas envelope used by a Member of the Oireachtas who may have opened the letter in error or did a member of the general public use a franked Oireachtas envelope and repost the letter in Tullamore Post Office?
(Limerick East): My information is that a letter sent by Deputy Flanagan to a constituent was delivered to somebody in the area with the same surname, that it was opened in error and reposted in an envelope with “Oireachtas” printed on it. The question of the allocation of Oireachtas envelopes is a matter for the Minister for Finance, not the Minister for Justice.
May I ask the Chair, as the custodian of everything that is right and proper in this House, together with the Minister, if it is right that a member of the general public, who may have received a letter in error, should have in his possession a franked Oireachtas envelope, and that he should have readdressed the letter some days later to the person to whom it was originally addressed? Can the Minister explain why the Garda did not find out if this letter was readdressed by a Member of the Oireachtas or a member of the general public? I do not know who was involved and I am very concerned. The person to whom the letter was addressed does not know either. Why all the secrecy in this matter?
(Limerick East): I appreciate the Deputy designating me as the guardian of everything that is right and proper in this House, but I am not the guardian of the distribution of Oireachtas envelopes. As I already said, the letter was delivered in error to somebody with the same name in the same townland; it was opened in error and put into another envelope which had “Oireachtas” printed on it and readdressed to the person to whom it was intended, and it subsequently arrived at the address of Deputy Flanagan's constituent.
Does the Minister know where the person to whom the letter was wrongly delivered got the franked Oireachtas envelope? Surely the Garda made inquiries. I want to know if a Member of the Oireachtas was involved because nobody has the right to allow a member of the general public to use a franked Oireachtas envelope, particularly in a case of this kind.
Could it be Deputy Enright?
Deputies should not volunteer replies. The Chair was asked to reply and he did not.
(Interruptions.)
I hope Deputy Fitzgerald will stand over that allegation.
It was not an allegation. I suggested a possibility.
This is a very serious matter.
Order, please.
(Limerick East): I have no information as to the source of the Oireachtas envelope but I would be surprised if it came from Deputy Flanagan as the person who re-addressed the envelope was a member of the officer board of a political party of which Deputy Flanagan is not a member.
This matter is becoming more complicated.
Perhaps it is too complicated to finalise at Question Time.
Does the Minister know who re-addressed the envelope? Is he prepared to explain by way of letter who re-addressed the envelope and where he got it?
(Limerick East): I have already stated——
The Minister has answered on a number of occasions by disclaiming responsibility for the distribution of Oireachtas envelopes.
Will the Ceann Comhairle be so kind as to refer this matter to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to investigate the circumstances where a member of the general public is allowed to use a franked Oireachtas envelope, to re-address a letter, and which the Garda say was done in good faith?
Perhaps Deputy Flanagan would use his good offices to get a Deputy to bring this matter before the Committee on Procedure and Privileges and the Chair will have it looked into.
I am not a member of the committee but if I write to the Ceann Comhairle, would he be good enough to have this matter investigated by the committee? This practice should be deplored.
Certainly. If the Deputy writes to the Chair, he will have the matter investigated and will bring the matter before the Committee on Procedure and Privileges.
I will write to the Chair within the next hour.