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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Dec 1965

Vol. 219 No. 7

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Despatch of Newspapers to Irish Missions Abroad.

12.

asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will give details of the manner in which copies of the Dublin morning newspapers are circulated to the Irish Missions abroad; whether some copies are sent by airmail, and if so, of which newspaper or newspapers; and if he has any comment to make on the advantages of dispatch by airmail as compared with surface mail.

13.

asked the Minister for External Affairs if he has received any representations on the choice of the Dublin morning newspaper which is air-mailed daily to the Irish Missions in Australia, Canada, Nigeria, the United States, France, Denmark, and other countries; whether the newspaper so circulated is chosen on the basis of highest circulation among Irish people at home; and, if not, why.

14.

asked the Minister for External Affairs the numbers of copies each of the Irish Independent, the Irish Press and the Irish Times sent by his Department by airmail to Irish Missions abroad so far in this financial year; the total cost in each case, including air charges; the numbers of copies of the Irish Independent, Irish Press and Irish Times sent to Irish Missions by surface mail in the same period; and the total cost in each case.

15.

asked the Minister for External Affairs the estimated cost of sending all three Dublin morning newspapers in one packet to Irish Missions in Australia, Canada, the United States, France and Nigeria, as compared with the present cost of sending out one particular newspaper.

With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 to 15 together.

Copies of all three Dublin morning newspapers are despatched on the day of issue to all Irish diplomatic and consular missions abroad except to the Embassy in London which receives its copies from a local supplier on the day of issue. During the recent newspaper strike in Dublin, the Cork Examiner was supplied by airmail to the missions and since the ending of the strike, this newspaper is being supplied by surface mail.

All the daily newspapers are despatched direct from the newspaper offices as this is a more expeditious method of despatch than having the newspapers delivered to the Department and then issued from there. The newsagents which for a number of years in the past despatched the Dublin daily newspapers to the missions indicated that they did not wish to continue this service.

Missions which are too distant to enable copies to be sent to them by surface without a delay of more than a few days receive at least one of the Dublin dailies by airmail. The principal reason for sending at least one of the newspapers by airmail is to ensure that such distant missions have at the earliest possible moment the general news coverage of an Irish daily newspaper. Thus the Irish Press is at present sent by airmail to practically all the more distant missions in the same way as the Irish Independent was airmailed to such missions during the period when the present Opposition was in office. In addition, copies of the Irish Times are sent by airmail to a limited number of the missions which have specifically asked for this service.

The choice of newspaper to be air-mailed is not dictated by circulation figures in Ireland, but by the requirements of our representatives abroad in keeping themselves informed of developments in Ireland particularly as regards important news events and Government policy, which they may be expected to interpret in the course of local contacts. All missions have in due course the benefit of the editorial and other comment, feature articles etc. of each daily newspaper as they receive all four Irish daily newspapers.

Representations have recently been received from Independent Newspapers Ltd. on this subject and following a review of the position it has been decided to have copies of the Irish Independent despatched by airmail instead of by surface to the Embassy in Washington and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Fourteen copies of the Irish Press and ten copies of the Irish Times are airmailed daily to the missions. Ten copies of the Irish Press, fifteen copies of the Irish Times and twenty-four copies of the Irish Independent are despatched by surface mail.

The major portion of the cost involved in sending newspapers abroad is, of course, the postal charges. In the first quarter of the present financial year the total cost of sending the Irish Press and the Irish Times by airmail was £163 7s. 2d. and £105 6s. 0d. respectively. In the same period the total cost of sending the Irish Press and Irish Times by surface mail was £28 13s. 9d. and £58 10s. 0d. respectively. Comparable figures cannot be given in the case of the Irish Independent as an account from Independent Newspapers for this period has not yet been submitted.

Taking an average weight of 5 ozs. per paper the postage cost of sending by airmail all three Dublin morning newspapers in one packet to Irish missions in Australia, Canada, the United States and Nigeria would be 7s. 10d. daily in the case of each mission as compared with 2s. 10d. daily for one newspaper. In the case of the Embassy in Paris, the respective figures are 6s. 6d. and 2s 4d.

As the despatch of newspapers by airmail is costly, particularly in the case of the Irish Independent which almost invariably contains more pages and is thus heavier than the other dailies, it is not proposed in the interest of economy to incur any additional costs in sending newspapers by airmail to the missions abroad.

Arising out of the Minister's somewhat wordy, reply, can he guarantee that in future the preferential airmail treatment the Irish Press has been accorded up to now will apply equally to the other newspapers?

I have given a full reply to the Deputy. It has been decided to have copies of the Irish Independent despatched by airmail instead of by surface to the Embassy in Washington and to the Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

The Minister will appreciate that preferential terms have been accorded to the Irish Press up to now. If the Irish Press is not the same size as the Irish Independent, would it not follow that there would be less news in the Irish Press?

During the time of the Deputy's Government, similar preference was accorded to the Irish Independent, and I suppose we are entitled to do the same.

I do not think so.

I would suggest that our Missions abroad are entitled to regard the Irish Press as expressing in the best and most clear terms the policy of the Government.

In relation to the future arrangements which the Minister is making, will he take steps to ensure that the other national newspaper, the Cork Examiner, will have exactly the same facilities as the Irish Press and the Irish Independent in relation to our Embassies abroad?

Copies of the Cork Examiner are sent to our Missions abroad.

This is almost as obscene a joke as the Trade Agreement.

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