asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the total number of directions given by him or his predecessors under s. 31 (1) and under s. 31 (2) of the Broadcasting Authority Act, 1960, since its enactment; and if he will say in the case of each such request to what it related.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ministerial Directions to RTE.
56.
No such direction has been given by me or by any of my predecessors.
Is the Minister not well aware that many programmes have been taken off the air due to telephone messages, political pressures et cetera being brought to bear on the authority? Does the Minister not agree that instead of this being done in an underhand way, by threatening or intimidating employees of RTE, it would be better if it were done in accordance with the spirit of the Act as envisaged in section 31 (1) and section 31 (2) of the Broadcasting Authority Act, 1960?
I am rather surprised to hear Deputy L'Estrange make a statement about how successful he has been as a politician in making approaches to RTE to get programmes taken off the air or changed. I have no great experience of political influence being successful in this regard. Every day the public make protests to RTE about whether a programme should have been put on or not but there is no question of Government dictations. Various scribes make up their own minds in this regard and suggest that various programmes have been withdrawn as a result of Government pressure but this is not so.
Has the Minister been asleep for the past two years? Surely the Minister is aware that when the Minister for Finance, Deputy Haughy, was Minister for Agriculture he admitted to this House that he telephoned RTE and had a programme withdrawn? The Minister for Transport and Power, answering for the Minister for Justice, admitted today that they made their views known to RTE last week. This must have been done either by word of mouth or by letter and the outcome was that the programme was withdrawn. Does the Minister not agree that when the facilities are available for this to be done above board it should be done in that way and not in this underhand manner?
I cannot see any reason why Deputies ask questions and follow them up with supplementary questions because quite obviously they do not listen to the replies. Deputy L'Estrange has just said that the Minister for Justice interfered with a programme recently.
Yes.
The reply given on his behalf by the Minister for Transport and Power today indicated that the approach was originally made by RTE to the Minister for Justice——
Does the Minister think we believe that?
If nobody is going to be believed there is no point in making replies at all. The Minister for Justice has said that he did not feel it was right for him to go on the programme as a result of an approach made by RTE. The reply made by the Minister for Transport and Power on behalf of the Minister for Justice explained the situation. There is nothing at all wrong with it except that we have newly self-appointed groups creating papers for themselves and handing out honours and plaudits to editors of other papers and arising out of that situation politicians have to be attacked as part of a mutual back-slapping arrangement.
Irrespective of whether the Minister for Justice participated in the programme or not it would still have gone ahead with the editor of Hibernia and the other people who were invited?
There is nothing in the question about the "Seven Days" programme. We cannot deal with this question all night. I am calling Question No. 57.
There is. I have asked why they would not make their views known to RTE in writing.
The Deputy has already asked that question.
I have not had a proper answer to that question. I have got no satisfaction because the Government are afraid to face up to their responsibilities and prefer instead to do things in an underhand manner when they could be done above board.
I must comment on the last remark made by Deputy L'Estrange. The decision not to go ahead with the programme was made by RTE as was stated in their public statement which was referred to today. The man responsible for conveying directions to RTE in connection with programmes is myself.
But they go over the Minister's head.
I conveyed no direction to RTE in connection with this programme.
Is the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs satisfied that other Ministers are going over his head and making little of him?
(Interruptions.)
Would Deputy L'Estrange please control himself?
I am not going to allow the Deputy to make little of me.
Deputy Lalor is the Minister responsible but he is only a small boy—he is only a figurehead in their eyes.
(Interruptions.)
Order, order.
I would sooner be a figurehead than a mouthpiece for the people for whom the Deputy is presently speaking.
I am a mouthpiece for the people of Longford-Westmeath. They proved they were satisfied in the by-election recently and they will prove it again in the general election.
(Interruptions.)
You are on the run now. Run rabbit run. Not one member of Fianna Fáil stayed with Mr. Keegan at the end of the count—they all left the sinking ship.
I appeal to the Deputy to be quiet and allow questions to continue.