asked the Taoiseach if in correspondence with a person (name supplied) his Department suggested that he should contact a certain Dáil representative in his constituency, to the exclusion of other local representatives; if any practice has been established in his Department in regard to referring correspondents to their local representatives; and, if so, what it is.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Correspondence with Taoiseach.
4.
I consider that my correspondence with people about their private affairs is a matter between them and myself.
Does the Taoiseach accept responsibility for the actions of his Department? How does he feel about this letter or how does the Minister for External Affairs feel about it?
A chara, the Taoiseach has asked me to suggest to you that you write to Deputy Faulkner, Minister for Lands, who is your Dáil representative and who will be in a better position to make enquiries on your behalf.
May I point out to the Deputy that it is not in order to quote from documents at Question Time.
Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, but I wish to make the point that, when the Taoiseach is elected in this country, it is surely his responsibility to meet all the people, to deal with all the people and not to act to his own Party advantage. The only mistake he made in this case, of course, was that he sent the letter to one of my best supporters, who brought it straight to me.
He did not have much confidence in the Deputy when he wrote to me.
The man had a right to write to the office of the Taoiseach. Is the Taoiseach denying that he instructed his private secretary to refer him to the Minister for Lands to the exclusion of the Minister for External Affairs and myself?
The Deputy's supporter must not have much confidence in him when he wrote to me about his problems.
I have not got the high office of Taoiseach—slithery John.
The Deputy need not apply any titles to me. I will earn whatever titles I have. I wish to say, a Cheann Comhairle, that if people write to me from different parts of the country about problems which it would appear to me would be best met by a local Deputy, it is the normal practice for me to refer them to a local Deputy and, naturally, I refer them to a Fianna Fáil Deputy.
The Taoiseach is using his high office for the purpose of political advantage.