I wish to ask the Minister for External Affairs whether he can make any statement to the Dáil respecting the Reparations Conference now sitting in London and the relations of the Irish Free State thereto, and more particularly in reference to the statement reported as having been made by Mr. Thomas, British Minister for Colonial Affairs, in which he said that all the nations forming the British Commonwealth had agreed to the method of representation at that Conference.
PRIVATE NOTICE QUESTION. - IRISH FREE STATE AND REPARATIONS CONFERENCE.
I wish to explain that at the Versailles Conference, the Dominions, that is to say, the States of the British Commonwealth other than Great Britain, had what might be described as two-fold representation. They were represented on the same status as Powers such as Belgium with two representatives, and also when they were particularly interested in any matter at the major Conference representatives of those Dominions attended as part of the British Delegation.
In the present case we are informed —and I wish to say that I quite accept the information—that there are difficulties which make it impossible for the Dominions to have distinct representation. The system proposed was that the British Delegation should be composed of four, and that the representation of one of these would be handed over to the Dominions, and they would have that representation turn and turn about. That would mean that it is proposed to us that at each fourth meeting an Irish Free State representative would be able to be present as part of the British Delegation. It is also proposed that representatives of each of the Dominions may be present at all the Conferences. I understand that some of the Dominions agree to that status. Canada agreed, I think, subject to a proviso that it would be clearly stated and agreed that any agreement that was come to, or any commitments that were included in the Protocol, should be subject to ratification or agreement by the Legislatures of the Dominions.
I have given this matter very careful consideration, and we have decided that we cannot accept that proposal. The precedent was established in Versailles that the Dominions should be represented separately as individual units. That is not possible in this Conference, and the Government feel that they could not, without adequate representation and full powers at that Conference, come to the Dáil and ask the Dáil to ratify any decision that might be come to at a Conference at which we were not properly represented. We, therefore, have decided that we cannot take part in the Conference, and that we cannot feel ourselves in any way bound by or committed by any arrangement that may be come to out of this Conference.
At the same time I wish to say that I quite believe that the difficulties of direct representation are real, and I also hope sincerely that our non-adherence to this Conference will in no way interfere with its successful results.
The statement that Deputy Johnson refers to in the papers, I saw in the papers, and I think it would be a good thing if the Irish newspapers would occasionally do as Deputy Johnson did and ask a question. I have not seen the official report of that statement in the British House of Commons, and until I see that official report I can only conclude that the matter was misreported.