asked the Taoiseach if he is aware of any disquiet expressed by several editors of leading foreign newspapers with regard to scheduled interviews with members of the Government being cancelled at the last moment without adequate explanation; and if he will outline the procedures pertaining to the granting of interviews by members of the Government to the press in general.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Government Press Interviews.
6.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative.Requests for press interviews with members of the Government originate in various ways. The arrangements for such interviews are co-ordinated by the Government Information Bureau in close liaison with the office of the Minister involved.
Is the Taoiseach aware that the editor of The Christian Science Monitor had an appointment to have an interview with a Minister and this was cancelled at the last minute?
That is completely untrue.
The editor of The Christian Science Monitor believes he had an appointment.
Unfortunately I cannot read the correspondence but I can tell what is contained in it. The son of the editor of The Christian Science Monitor resides in Dublin. He wrote to the office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and to my office seeking separate interviews with the Minister and with me for his father and two other people who were due to arrive in Dublin at 3 p.m. on 11th May, leaving Dublin at 12 noon the following day. He was told because of commitments of the Minister and myself on the day of the count of the referendum that it would not be possible to arrange an interview. These are the facts.
Seemingly the editor is under a misapprehension about this, but he should be notified of the fact, because he does feel that a cancellation took place at the last moment.
I do not know how he could feel that because the correspondence gave no intimation whatever that would create such an impression.
There was no correspondence with the editor?
I leave it to the Deputy's own intelligence. With people coming from abroad, arriving 3 p.m. one day, leaving 12 noon the next day, and the days they happened to be, is it reasonable to assume that an appointment was arranged and then cancelled?
How long in advance was the request made?
There was a letter to an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs dated April 29th and a letter to the Director of the Government Information Bureau dated April 29th. Seeing that the count in the referendum would be on the 11th May, there would be no question of making an appointment for that day.