Vol. 223 No. 6
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state in detail the amount of money paid to each member of the Board of Telefís Éireann; if any member of the Board holds another State or semi-State appointment; and, if so, on what conditions and at what expense to the Exchequer.
33.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs who is at present Chairman of Telefís Éireann; the date Mr. Eamonn Andrews resigned; and the date on which Dr. C.S. Andrews takes over the duties as Chairman.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to deal with Questions Nos. 32 and 33 together.
The present Chairman of Radio Telefís Éireann, Dr. C.S. Andrews, was appointed with effect from 3rd June, 1966. Mr. Eamonn Andrews relinquished the position on 31st May, 1966, on the termination of the period for which he had been appointed.
I would refer the Deputy to the statement regarding the terms of employment and remuneration of the members of Radio Telefís Éireann which was laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on June 15th, 1966. The Chairman is also Chairman of Córas Iompair Éireann and of its subsidiary, Ostlanna Iompair Éireann. He is a wholetime member of the Board of CIE and receives an annual remuneration of £6,160 from that company.
In connection with Question No. 32, I have asked the Minister to give us the amount of money paid to each member of the Board of Telefís Éireann and I also asked if any member of the Board holds another State or semi-State appointment?
I gave that information.
Do they?
Not that I am aware of. The remuneration is laid down in the circular which I placed before the House recently, £1,000 to the Chairman and £500 each for members of the Authority.
The Minister assures this House that each member of Telefís Éireann has no other remuneration, good, bad or indifferent, from the State, other than what is being paid in accordance with the law?
The Deputy did not ask me whether they received any other remuneration, good, bad or indifferent, but they are not members of any other Board as far as I am aware.
They might be working outside for Fianna Fáil—or inside.
We do not have to pay our outside men.
You pay them at the taxpayers' expense.
We have a strong voluntary organisation.
May I ask the Minister is he now giving the House an assurance that no member of the Board of Telefís Éireann is in receipt of any State money either from the State directly by way of pension or otherwise or from any semi-State authority?
I am certainly not giving any such overall assurance. That is a very wide statement to make.
That is what I have asked the Minister. Perhaps the Minister did not get an opportunity of making inquiries and if I repeat the question this day week, will he go further into the matter so that he can give the House full information in regard to certain moneys paid to members of Telefís Éireann?
That is not the type of question envisaged by Standing Orders.
Surely, if the question was allowed on the Order Paper, I am entitled to a reply to it?
It does not arise relevantly out of the question on the Order Paper.
Question No. 32 on today's Order Paper, standing in my name reads:
To ask the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state in detail the amount of money paid to each member of the Board of Telefís Éireann; if any member of the Board holds another State or semi-State appointment; and, if so, on what conditions and at what expense to the Exchequer.
Surely a pension would be an expense to the Exchequer? Can the Minister now give us that information?
So far as I am aware, no member has any State or semi-State appointment.
Or is in receipt of any pension or allowance? I have clearly asked "at what expense to the Exchequer". Surely the Minister agrees with that?
Some of them might be getting the old age pension, for all I know.
The old age pension? Surely the Minister is not suggesting that, for example, Mrs. Seán T. O'Kelly is in receipt of the old age pension.
Now we know.
I am asking the Minister for information. Surely he can give the information? The Minister must be well aware, furthermore, that the only member of the Board of Telefís Éireann who knows anything about his responsibility as a member of the Board is Mr. J.I. Fanning. The others know nothing whatever about the management or control of Telefís Éireann.
They are all Fianna Fáil supporters except one.
The man in question would not agree with you about that.
What about Mr. Fintan Kennedy and all the others?
I shall repeat this question next week.
I have one down this week to the Minister for Finance on this subject which is much more revealing.
