asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state the circumstances in which a statement made by the Minister for Industry and Commerce at a recent Fianna Fáil function in Dundalk was broadcast on the Radio Eireann news.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Broadcast of Minister's Statement.
The statement to which the Deputy refers was reported to the Radio Eireann News Room and was mentioned in the Radio Eireann news as being a matter of wide public interest.
Can the Minister say is there now any alteration or departure from the practice in operation? Formerly, it was not the practice to report a Minister speaking at a political function, except at an annual Ard-Fheis or Party conference. On last Sunday night's news, the Minister himself was reported as speaking at Kilbeggan, but it did not specify the type of meeting on that occasion. I understand, from what the Minister has said, that the practice in future is to be that statements made at political gatherings will be reported.
There has been a longstanding practice in Radio Eireann not to report meetings of political Parties, save annual conventions. I cannot tell the Deputy anything about the meeting at Kilbeggan, but I can about the meeting at Dundalk. Sometimes Ministers do make speeches of a non-political character on impending developments on the occasion of a political meeting. On an occasion such as that, it is proper for Radio Eireann to make a report of the statement made. On this occasion, the Minister for Industry and Commerce made what I think would be agreed by everybody was a wholly non-political statement about the future of the G.N.R. From my information, the same practice will continue to be adopted when a Minister speaks wholly on a non-political matter, on a matter of vital public importance.
Can the Minister say if this is a departure from the previous practice? As I understand, it was the practice up to now to report speeches only at Ard Fheiseanna or Party conferences. If a Minister speaks on a matter of political consequence, he should not be reported on Radio Eireann. As I understand it, the Minister for Industry and Commerce was reported at the meeting in Dundalk and the Minister himself, if he recollects, spoke, according to Radio Eireann, at Kilbeggan on Sunday night and that was reported on Sunday evening's news without specifying the type of meeting that the Minister addressed.
I would suggest that the Deputy ask another question about the meeting at Kilbeggan. I have only certain information here. Everybody in the House knows that very rarely do Ministers make wholly non-political statements at a general political meeting. They generally make such statements at a meeting of Chambers of Commerce or at a meeting of citizens of a town of a non-political character. I do not think it can be said that there was any departure on this occasion. If the Deputy cares to read the speech in one of the newspapers, he will see it was a wholly non-political speech, of vital interest to the country.
Can the Minister say if this facility will be afforded to Deputies speaking in a non-political way on a matter of grave public importance?
As long as it is not Kilbeggan.
We heard enough about Kilbeggan, about Locke's of Kilbeggan.
Is this a departure from the usual practice?
I do not think so. On previous occasions, I heard Ministers making statements, and these statements were reported.
At political Party meetings?
Order!
Has the Minister not got a list of the previous occasions there?
In view of the fact that the Minister has stated here that, in future, when a Minister deals with a non-political matter at a Party political meeting, he may be reported by Radio Eireann, and in view of the confusion that has arisen in the backchat of questions, will the Taoiseach make a statement on this departure and say if it is intended to depart from the traditional practice in Radio Eireann not to report political speeches?
I am prepared to have the matter examined and when I have examined it, I will report.