asked the Taoiseach if he will make a comprehensive statement concerning the behaviour of the Government Press Secretary in relation to his dealings with the public, media, the prison service and the Department of Justice, during the period Friday, 17 August 1984 and subsequent days.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Government Press Secretary.
2.
I am satisfied with the manner in which the Government press secretary dealt with the media and the Department of Justice during the period in question. He had no dealings with the public or with the prison service in the matter.
Is the Taoiseach aware of the extreme confusion that existed at that time both inside and outside the prison and of how this confusion was greatly added to by the involvement of the Government press secretary, a paid public official? The Government having had plenty of time to examine what went on, would the Taoiseach now tell the House whom the press secretary contacted in the Department of Justice when he was looking for information?
That is a separate question. I am satisfied that the Government press secretary carried out his functions punctiliously in this matter. In response to inquiries he sought information. He accurately noted the information given to him and accurately and promptly transmitted it on each occasion to the media and carried out his duties exactly as I would expect him to do. He acted promptly and conveyed accurately what was given to him. As soon as he became aware that the information given to him was incorrect he immediately corrected it publicly, as I would also expect him to do.
Is the Taoiseach serious in saying that my supplementary question is totally different when the original question asked the Taoiseach to make a comprehensive statement on the matter? Would the Taoiseach now say, having regard to the original question, whom the press secretary contacted in the Department of Justice when he looked for information which he subsequently passed to the press and which was misleading to the general public?
I do not propose to name individual civil servants in this House in a matter of this kind. I think that would be contrary to precedent and undesirable. He contacted an official at a high level and was referred to the appropriate official to deal with the matter. He asked for the information and was given it. He accurately transmitted it. He had a subsequent conversation with another official and promptly and accurately transmitted that information to the media. In every respect he carried out his duties as I would expect and he corrected it immediately when he found it was incorrect.
Because of the involvement of the press secretary in areas which in my belief are——
A question please, Deputy.
——outside the parameters of his terms of reference as press secretary, if he cannot name the persons involved, would the Taoiseach tell the rank of the persons the press secretary contacted in the Department of Justice?
No. I do not propose to identify particular people with whom he was in contact when there were more than one. My responsibility is the behaviour of the Government press secretary and that is what this question relates to. As I said, I am satisfied that he acted in exactly the way I have said.
A final supplementary.
Is the Taoiseach aware that the press secretary when briefing the press suggested that certain people inside the prison were trying to manipulate the situation for their own reasons? Would the Taoiseach now confirm that this type of statement at that time was within the parameters of his job as press secretary?
I am satisfied that the press secretary in what he communicated to the press on Saturday night and Sunday morning before the error was discovered did no more and no less than transmit to the press the information he had received accurately and promptly.
The press secretary did not receive any information from an official in the Department of Justice to the effect that he could say certain people inside the prisons——
Has the Deputy a question?
——were manipulating a situation for their own ends.
We cannot have a statement. The Deputy must ask a question.
Will the Taoiseach say that we will have no further political interference from the press secretary of this Government, who is a paid public servant and whose duties are clearly known and understood by everybody except by those in Government?
His duties are to ensure the transmission of accurate information promptly to the press in respect of matters in which they have a political concern. He carried out that function, and did no more and no less on that occasion. I rebut any innuendo to the contrary.
This is the final supplementary.
Is the Taoiseach not aware that but for a public statement made by a personal friend of his, Mr. O'Farrell, chairman of the prison visiting committee, the effort to manipulate the public media by the press secretary would have succeeded?
I would like to deny that and I wonder if I am entitled to ask for the withdrawal of the allegation that there was any attempt to manipulate the media.
The Taoiseach may answer.
I have stated that the press secretary sought the information from the relevant Department and transmitted it on each occasion accurately and promptly. There was no act of manipulation, nothing other than an accurate and prompt transmission of information in accordance with his duties.
Which proved to be totally inaccurate and misleading.
Since he is Opposition spokesman on Justice, I will allow Deputy Woods one question.
Would the Taoiseach agree that it is not the function of the press secretary either to criticise the public servants in the prison service or to give out information which is obviously misleading about their performance, particularly without checking it, that it was an off-the-cuff statement and did not relate to the points the Taoiseach covered? Criticising public servants is not the function of the Government press secretary and he should not do it.
It is the duty of the press secretary to respond to press queries and to transmit to the press the information given to him by the relevant officials. In this case that is what he did.
Would the Taoiseach give a guarantee that we will have no political interference——
Question No. 3, in the name of Deputy De Rossa.
(Interruptions.)
Bring him to the South of France with you.
I have called the next question. I have been very fair about this question.
The Taoiseach did not answer my question on the criticism of public servants by the press secretary.
Question No. 3.
I want to put it on the record that the Taoiseach did not answer my question.
I did not answer the last abusive remarks by Deputy Collins.