asked the Minister for Communications when the last meeting of the International Telecommunication Union was held; the agenda and issues dicussed; the votes taken by the Irish delegation; the role played by Ireland at the meeting; the future work of the union; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - International Telecommunications Union.
4.
The purpose of the International Telecommunication Union are: (a) to maintain and extend international co-operation between all members of the union for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications of all kinds, as well as to promote and to offer technical assistance to developing countries in the field of telecommunications; (b) to promote the development of technical facilities and their most efficient operation with a view to improving the efficiency of telecommunications services, increasing their usefulness and making them, so far as possible, generally available to the public; and (c) to harmonise the action of nations in the attainment of those ends.
The last Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 28 September to 6 November 1982 and I propose to circulate a copy of the agenda for that conference in the Official Report. Apart from the election of officers and discussions on financial and organisational matters, the principal work of the conference was to revise and update the International Telecommunication Convention which is the basic instrument of the union, and which was previously revised in 1973.
As a member of the union, Ireland attended the conference to influence the future direction and plans of the union and voted in support of those positions which reflected the orderly administration and development of telecommunications services. The next Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union will be held in Nice, France, from 23 May to 29 June 1989 and that conference will determine the future work of the union.
Following is the agenda:
Agenda for The International Telecommunication Convention Nairobi, 1982.
The Plenipotentiary Conference shall:
(a) determine the general policies for fulfilling the purposes of the union prescribed in Article 4 of this Convention;
(b) consider the report by the Administrative Council on the activities of all the organs of the union since the previous Plenipotentiary Conference;
(c) establish the basis for the budget of the union and determine a fiscal limit for the expenditure of the union until the next Plenipotentiary Conference after considering a programme of the administrative conferences and meetings of the union foreseen in that period;
(d) fix the basic salaries, the salary scales and the system of allowances and pensions for all the officials of the union; and, if necessary, provide any general directives dealing with the staffing of the union;
(e) examine the accounts of the union and, finally approve them, if appropriate;
(f) elect the members of the union which are to serve on the Administrative Council;
(g) elect the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General and fix the dates of their taking office;
(h) elect the members of the IFRB and fix the dates of their taking office;
(i) revise the Convention if it considers this necessary;
(j) conclude or revise, if necessary, agreements between the union and other international organisations, examine any provisional agreement with such organisations concluded, on behalf of the union, by the Administrative Council, and take such measures in connection therewith as it deems appropriate;
(k) deal with such other telecommunication questions as may be necessary.
May I ask the Minister why we must allocate, on a yearly basis in the Estimates, funds towards the union?
Are levies or dues payable or is there a secretariat in the Minister's Department dealing full time with the union and its activities?
There is an ongoing contribution made to the union.