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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 30 Oct 1958

Vol. 171 No. 3

Ceisteanna—Questions. - Printing Contracts.

asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware of the protracted delays in getting official printing done; that this is a serious check on expedition in the completion of public business when reports expeditiously completed are not printed for months after their completion; and whether he will take steps to remedy this situation, if necessary by spreading printing contracts over a wider selection of the available printing concerns in the country, including rural printing houses.

I am not aware that there have been protracted delays in getting official printing done or that there has been serious interference with public business as a result of printing delays.

In accordance with recognised contractual procedure competitive tenders are invited for official printing work from the Dublin and provincial printing houses which are considered to be in a position to carry out the work satisfactorily. Several printing contracts are currently held by provincial printing houses.

Is the Minister aware that, at the request of the Department of Finance, the Committee of Public Accounts went to considerable trouble to expedite dealing with the Appropriation Account and that, having furnished the report early in July, we could not get it printed, I think, before the month of October on the grounds that the quantity of printing being handled by the printing office was so great that they could not attend to it? It was then printed only on the most urgent representations of the Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts.

The dates are not as bad as all that. The report was received by the printers on the 18th July, proofs began coming back on the 28th August and the last proof was received in September.

When was it issued—in October?

Proofs cannot be read until they are received back from the printers and my information is that the proofs did not come back from the printers until they were pushed.

I think if the Deputy saw the time-table of this publication he refers to he would say there was no great delay on the part of the printers.

Does the Minister not recall that he gave me an answer several times that it was due to delay in public printing that he could not furnish the reports of the Capital Investment Committee?

I am talking of the publication to which Deputy Dillon has referred.

The question put down refers to everything.

The Department of Social Welfare published an annual report for the first time in 1950, but the second annual report has not yet appeared. Is that with the printers all these years?

It was due to correcting your errors.

That is a separate matter.

If the Ministers are to be corrected, you will have to nationalise every printing establishment in this country.

Question No. 7.

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