(Cavan): At Question Time yesterday, Deputy O'Donnell, spokesman for the Fine Gael Party on Transport and Power, put down a question to the Minister for Transport and Power asking the Minister whether he has now investigated the statements made recently by a director of Bord Fáilte on the BBC programme “24 Hours”, and, if so, if he will state his findings and what action he proposes to take in the matter. Because of the unsatisfactory nature of the Minister's reply, I considered it my bounden duty to raise this matter on the Adjournment. Before going into the matter, I should like to say that I do so with the full approval and consent of the spokesman for Transport and Power, Deputy O'Donnell.
I should also like to explain to the House that my reason for intervening in Deputy O'Donnell's question by way of supplementary question was because on Tuesday night last I watched the television programme, "7 Days", which dealt with the previous "24 Hours" programme on which a director of Bord Fáilte, Mr. Evans, appeared and dealt with the tourist difficulties in this country.
I had not known that Deputy O'Donnell had put down the question and, were it not for the fact that I saw this "7 Days" programme on Tuesday night, I would not have put any supplementary question. I want to say to you now and to the House that I was absolutely horrified at the "7 Days" programme which was a reproduction of the "24 Hours" programme on the BBC. I was so incensed that, when I heard Deputy O'Donnell raising the matter here, I availed of the opportunity to intervene. I say that to explain to you and to the House why I, who had not put down the question, have now raised this matter on the Adjournment.
It is a well-known fact that the tourist industry here is second only to the agricultural industry. In fact, until the deplorable handling of the national situation by this Government, it was running neck and neck with the agricultural industry. It is very proper that we should have a Bord Fáilte to deal with the tourist industry, to encourage foreigners to come here and spend their money here. It is also very proper that we should have on that board people with considerable experience in the tourist industry, hoteliers who are held in the highest esteem and who do an excellent job. Before I go further I want to say—it may be a reflection on myself or on my lack of finance—that I never heard of Mr. Evans until Tuesday night when I looked in at this "7 Days" programme, but I have since learned a number of things about him: I have learned that he is a first-class hotelier and that the way in which he runs his hotel in Glenbeigh is a credit to the nation. I want to go on record as saying that.
It is only proper that a man like him should be a member of Bord Fáilte, but it is also very important that men like him should behave in a responsible way and in the interests of the tourist industry. I am sure that the amount of money paid to Mr. Evans as a director of Bord Fáilte is a mere pittance to him. I am sure that he is not on Bord Fáilte for the fee that he is paid, but he is paid a fee and he does get travelling expenses. It is, therefore, in the interests of this country that he behaves in a responsible manner. That is particularly so at this time when, as the Minister for Transport and Power will say, because of the activities in Northern Ireland, we are going through a difficult period. Because of a lack of leadership, and because we have no Government in this country, we are going through an exceptionally difficult period as far as the tourist industry is concerned. Because of absurd actions, like the burning of the British Embassy, we are in a particularly difficult situation. It is then all the more important in our interests that our State-appointed, publicly paid members of Bord Fáilte, directors of that body, should behave in a responsible way.
I want to say, as the Minister said yesterday, that there is no antagonism towards the British public in this country and, when I say no antagonism, I mean that there is in every country a lunatic fringe and there is a lunatic fringe in this country. By and large, however, responsible people have nothing against the British public or foreign tourists. They appreciate the injection they give to the economy. That is a fact. My own constituency of Cavan is a Border constituency but there is no worthwhile objection in that constituency to the British public coming here. I believe they are welcome. As far as I am concerned, they are very welcome and I am glad that those were the sentiments of the Minister yesterday in his attempt to cover up for this well-intentioned but completely irresponsible member of Bord Fáilte.
I make the Minister a present of the fact that, while this man is a director of Bord Fáilte and was introduced as a director of Bord Fáilte, he said he was speaking as a private hotelier. When he was asked did he think this was not a year for English people to come to Ireland he answered "Yes". I concede this was a 17-second interlude in a ten minute programme but, if he did not say that people should not come to Ireland in 1972, he would not have been reported as saying it. I want the Minister for Transport and Power now to dissociate himself completely from what Mr. Evans said on that television programme. I want to go a little further. He did not go on television alone and unaided. He went on television ably supported by a gentleman called Mr. Eamon Kane, or O'Kane—I will call him Kane—the marketing director for Bord Fáilte. Mr. Kane chipped in to say that, in his opinion, Mr. Evans had performed a work of national importance. He supported him. He is a paid official of Bord Fáilte. He is a paid official of Mr. Evans. This adds insult to injury. One could complain and say that the "7 Days" programme should not have been shown. But it was factual. It was factual to the extent that it showed a recording of the "24 Hours" programme. In my opinion, it was adding insult to injury to have this first-class hotelier coming on the air and really emphasising what he had said, that he thought it was his duty to warn certain British people with young families that they should not come here, that they might get involved in rows or that their children might get involved in rows; he did not use the expression "skinheads" or "Teddy Boys", but that could be read into what he said. If this man thought that he had a duty in respect of his own hotel to issue this warning, then he should have done it privately through the post and not after being introduced on television as a director of Bord Fáilte.
I would have expected the Minister for Transport and Power to come into this House and to dissociate himself utterly and completely from the programme, from Mr. Evan's irresponsible pronouncements and from the statement of Mr. Kane aiding and abetting him. I was shocked when I heard the Minister for Transport and Power standing over him, saying that this was only 17 seconds out of a ten minute programme, justifying him, blaming the "24 Hours" programme and excusing Mr. Evans.
I looked around for some reason and now I will be political because I am entitled to be political. I never heard of this man, and the House has my word of honour that I never heard of this man until last Tuesday night, but I now find that he is one of the staunchest supporters of the Fianna Fáil Party in the County of Kerry. I find that the Fianna Fáil Cumann in Glenbeigh got first prize in the Fianna Fáil competition for the best cumann in the national collection. It headed the poll——
