andMr. Harte asked the Minister for Local Government the date and time on which the recent White Paper on Local Government Reorganisation was issued to (a) the provincial newspapers, (b) the daily newspapers, (c) members of both Houses of the Oireachtas and (d) other interested bodies.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Government Reorganisation.
50.
Copies of the White Paper on Local Government Reorganisation were posted by the Government Information Bureau to the provincial newspapers on the evening of Friday, 5th February, 1971, with an embargo on publication before 11th February. Copies were issued by the bureau to the daily newspapers on the morning of Tuesday 9th February, 1971, with a similar embargo. Copies of the White Paper were sent by post on the evening of Wednesday, February 10th, 1971, to members of the Dáil with city addresses and to members of the Seanad. Copies for other Deputies were left to be collected by them with their post at Leinster House on the morning of Thursday, 11th February. Copies of the White Paper were posted to local authorities and other interested bodies on the evening of Wednesday, 10th February.
I might add that it is standard practice, and has been requested by the news media, for the Government Information Bureau, following prior consultation with the Department concerned, to issue, whenever possible, to the media, in advance of publication, documents which, because of their length and complexity, require time for detailed study. When this is done, an embargo on publication is requested.
As the Minister stated, the White Paper dealt with very complex and involved issues which involved study, but is he aware that interested parties, Members of this House and chairmen of local authorities, were asked to comment on the White Paper in a matter of an hour or two after the Minister's Department had delivered copies of it by post? Would he not consider it somewhat unfair that the news media, as far as provincial papers were concerned, would have a week, and as far as daily papers were concerned two or three days, in which to ask people to comment publicly on the paper although they would not have had sufficient opportunity to study it?
If the newspapers asked any person to comment on the contents of the White Paper before it was released——
Not before.
——to the public, then such a request——
Not before, within an hour or two after it had been delivered.
If such a thing happened, and I know it did in one case, we consider that a breach of the embargo. We asked the Government Information Bureau to get in touch with one newspaper which did it and to let them know that we considered it a breach and asked them not to do it again. It was unfair. The other thing is purely a matter for the newspapers on which to make their own decision as to what type of publicity they wish to give a White Paper. If the newspapers were looking for comments from people who had only read it, or who were only in receipt of it for an hour, it would be rather foolish of them to expect people to be able to give an enlightened and knowledgeable comment at that stage. I should like to stress to Deputies, and to local authorities, that the contents of this White Paper are of such importance to the public generally that it is rather foolish to rush in with comments at an early stage. It does require some examination in depth of all the proposals——
Come off it.
I would discourage anybody from rushing in with an early comment or condemning it as the Labour Party have done already. It is too early yet for anybody to make a final decision.
(Interruptions.)
This White Paper is of great importance to the community as a whole.
Thanks for the lecture.
"Molloy's Folly."
It is a most extraordinary thing that Deputies who are supposed to be the legislators should be last on the list of people to whom it is thought the Government should issue the paper. Of course, they have no option but to issue it to the Members of the House as it is a White Paper but the Government issue it last to Deputies. Of course, so far as the value of the White Paper is concerned it need not have been issued at all.
If the Deputy thinks we should not have facilitated the Press, then that is a matter of opinion for him and if that is the view he takes on it so be it. I do not agree; I think it was courteous on our part to issue the White Paper to enable newspaper commentators to comment on it in a knowledgeable way the day after it was published and in that way we were facilitating the Press, which is something I would be anxious to do at all times. It is standard practice, anyway.
Would the Minister not consider it equally important to facilitate Deputies and members of local authorities who are vitally concerned with the White Paper? He seems to be terribly worried about the Press and I agree that the Press should be properly informed but no more informed than Members of this House.
I think the procedure which was adopted was reasonable.