asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that the Stationery Office are supplying pencils for use in public offices on which there is an inscription Great Wall, Made in China whilst there is a factory manufacturing world famous pencils in Fermoy town, County Cork; and if he proposes to take any action in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Stationery Office Pencil Supplies.
12.
I am not so aware. A check on the records of the Stationery Office back to 1965 has established that all pencils supplied by the office were of Irish manufacture.
The second part of the question does not, therefore, arise.
Further to the Minister's reply would he be surprised if I produced, as I do now, a pencil supplied to a public office with a brand on it, Great Wall, made in China, which was supplied within the last two weeks?
Did the Deputy say that that pencil was supplied by the Stationery Office?
My information is that it was.
I am assured that no such pencil has been supplied by the Stationery Office.
Chairman Mao is infiltrating all right.
I suspect, when the Deputy talks about a public office, that he may be referring to a local authority or some such body.
The Minister is enjoying a little triumph.
If the Deputy will furnish me with details of this I shall be glad to have it investigated, but I am assured that no such pencils have been supplied by the Stationery Office.
Do I take it that while there might be confusion as to whether or not these pencils were supplied by the Stationery Office the Minister has a personal doubt as to whether they were supplied by local authorities? If that is the case does he not think it worth his while to investigate that assumption?
I cannot assume where the pencil was produced from. I can only tell the Deputy with any degree of positiveness that the information available to me is that it was not supplied by the Stationery Office, which was the question the Deputy asked. I was endeavouring to be courteous to the Deputy by suggesting that he might give me details so that I could have the matter investigated.
I wish the same courtesy would apply to other more important questions.
I wanted to answer the Deputy's question but I obeyed the Chair unlike Deputies over there.
(Interruptions.)
I am prepared to give the Minister both the evidence and the pencil.