asked the Minister for Education the number of Christmas cards provided in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970 for (a) himself and (b) his Parliamentary Secretary; and the total cost in each case for each year.
95.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Official Christmas Cards.
94.
asked the Minister for Education if in estimating the cost of Christmas cards and greetings he includes (a) envelopes and (b) estimated Civil Service time.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 95 together and, as the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose to circulate it with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:—
|
Minister |
Parliamentary Secretary |
|||||||
|
No. of Cards |
Cost |
No. of Cards |
Cost |
|||||
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
£ |
s. |
d. |
|||
|
1966 |
1,588 |
74 |
0 |
0 |
— |
— |
||
|
1967 |
1,500 |
75 |
0 |
0 |
— |
— |
||
|
1968 |
750 |
70 |
0 |
0 |
— |
— |
||
|
1969 |
650 |
20 |
13 |
6 |
2,500 |
128 |
10 |
0 |
|
1970 |
400 |
15 |
15 |
0 |
2,500 |
110 |
0 |
0 |
|
(estimated) |
(estimated) |
The cost includes in each case the cost of envelopes. It is not possible to divorce any part of the official time spent by the staff concerned in the dispatch of Christmas cards from the rest of their official time. Accordingly it is not possible to prepare an estimate of the cost involved.
Surely the reply to Question No. 94 is not in the form of a tabular statement? Is it not correct that there was no Parliamentary Secretary in the Department until last year?
Yes, I am the second to hold that office.
It cannot apply to 1966, 1967 and 1968.
Yes, but the question relates to the whole lot.
You cannot ask supplementary questions on tabular statements.
How could the answer to Question No. 95 be in the form of a tabular statement? Would the Parliamentary Secretary kindly read the question?
It is in the form of a tabular statement.
It asks the cost of Christmas cards and greetings including the cost of envelopes and the Civil Service time involved. I cannot see how that could be in the form of a tabular statement.
The answer contains all the information the Deputy wants.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary ashamed of the amount of money spent by himself for Christmas cards this year? I think he is. He was one of the more expensive people in this game.
Other Ministers, including the Minister for External Affairs, gave the answer and it was not in the form of a tabular statement.
I can assure the Deputy that the Parliamentary Secretary was not here when the question was asked on the last occasion and I had nothing to do with the preparation of the format. If the Deputy wants to know about my private cards last year I will tell him.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not be courteous enough to tell us what it cost the other Parliamentary Secretary since that is not in the form of a tabular statement?
In the interests of the expedition of the business of this House——
(Interruptions.)
Does the Parliamentary Secretary know that the Minister for Labour gave the figures about 20 minutes ago?
And the Minister for Transport and Power.
May I remind Deputies that two seconds ago the answer of the Minister for Lands, on whose behalf I was speaking, was in the form of a tabular statement and no one decided to ask a question in relation to that.
Is it that the cost was a little high?
The Parliamentary Secretary is ashamed. He might tell the House about himself.
I am answering on behalf of the Minister in each case.