Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 30 Oct 1957

Vol. 164 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Absences Abroad of Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries.

Mr. M.J. O'Higgins

asked the Taoiseach if he will state in respect of each Member of the Government and each Parliamentary Secretary (a) whether he has been out of the country since the date of his appointment, and, if so, when, for how long and for what purpose, and (b) what arrangements were made for discharge of the duties of his office during his absence.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach (Donnchadh Ó Briain)

As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to have it circulated in the Official Report.

Following is the statement:—

MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES: ABSENCES FROM IRELAND SINCE 20TH MARCH, 1957.

Member of Government or Parliamentary Secretary	Date of Departure	Date of return	Purpose of absence	Arrangements made for discharge of duties during absence
Taoiseach	3rd October	13th October	Attending ceremonies in connection with tercentenary of death of Fr. Luke Wadding, in Rome.	Tánaiste acted for Taoiseach, in accordance with Article 28.6.3º of Constitution.
Minister for Finance	15th September	10th October	Attending meetings of Governors of International Monetary Fund and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development at New York.	Minister for Health acted for Minister for Finance, under Agency Order.
Minister for External Affairs.	28th April	29th April	Attending meeting of Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe at Strasbourg.	Taoiseach acted for Minister for External Affairs, by administrative arrangement, during these absences.
	8th September	1st October	Attending Sessions of General Assembly of United Nations at New York.
	15th October	21st October	Attending meeting of Council of Ministers of Organisation for European Economic Co-operation at Paris.
Minister for Lands	29th May	3rd June	Engaging in discussions and consultations on forestry and fishery matters in London.	None necessary.
	12th September	14th October	Carrying out surveys of various forestry and fishery matters in Scotland, England and France.	Matters requiring Minister's attention were dealt with by direct communication with him.
Minister for Education	4th October	7th October	Attending (i) inauguration of Terence MacSwiney Memorial Chapel Fund and (ii) dinner of Corkmen's Association, in London.	None necessary.

In addition to absences abroad for official purposes, some Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries were absent for short periods on holiday or for other private reasons. In these cases, where necessary, the Ministers' duties were discharged, either under Agency Order or by administrative arrangement, by other members of the Government, and the Parliamentary Secretaries' duties were discharged by the members of the Government concerned.