andMr. E. Collins asked the Minister for Education the meetings, if any, he has attended of the EEC Council of Ministers since 21 March 1979 and in respect of each meeting (a) the date (b) the agenda (c) the decisions taken (d) when the next meeting is to take place and the matters to be discussed at that meeting.
Written Answers. - EEC Council of Ministers.
121.
There has not been any meeting of an EEC Council of Education Ministers since the date mentioned. I have, however, recently attended a meeting of Ministers for Education in Paris at the invitation of the French Minister for Education, as a result of which it is my intention to arrange a Council meeting later this year under the Irish Presidency.
122.
andMr. Kelly asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development the meetings, if any, he has attended of the EEC Council of Ministers since 21 March 1979 and in respect of each meeting, (a) the date, (b) the agenda, (c) the decisions taken, (d) when the next meeting is to take place and the matter to be discussed at that meeting.
I have not attended any meetings of the EEC Council of Ministers since 21 March 1979.
The next meeting of the Council of Economic and Finance Ministers is scheduled for 16 July 1979. The agenda has not yet been agreed by the Committee of Permanent Representatives.
I wish to raise a matter of urgent importance. I have, since the matter arose in the House ten minutes ago, checked the position further in respect of the referendum. The position is that a quarter of a million leaflets have been delivered to the GIS. The greater part of these have been collected by Fianna Fáil already. No copies are yet available to any other party and at this stage many Deputies and Senators have left. I want to have this matter discussed. We are now in a position where Government money has been spent to produce leaflets which one political party was able to distribute because of arrangements made and the other parties cannot distribute. That is an abuse of Government funds and it is also going to produce a very negative effect on the referendum which should be one of unanimity among all parties.
The Deputy should have given notice of that before Question Time.
I could not give notice of something in respect of which the information has only come to me in the last few minutes. We now have a situation of extreme urgency. It is necessary to make arrangements to deliver to each constituency——
The Deputy, as the Leader of the main Opposition party, should know that he must give notice before the sitting of a matter like this.
But there was no way I could give notice of something which had not happened. The referendum is being prejudiced.
The Chair is restricted to the Standing Orders which he seeks to do his best to apply.
This is a matter of urgent public importance.
I may be able to clear this up.
If the Minister wishes to say something and the House is prepared to accept it he may.
I have just been informed that the leaflets to which Deputy Deputy FitzGerald refers are available to other parties at the Government Information Office and that office is still awaiting more deliveries from the printers.
In view of what has happened, in the event that the entire first consignment went to Fianna Fáil and they have not been available for our Deputies who have just left the House, will the Government arrange to deliver them to each constituency where they can be collected and distributed by all political parties so that we may support the Government as we have said we would.
It is not in order to raise this matter at this time.
In fairness, the original arrangement was made in the context of our working tomorrow.
And who proposed to abandon the Dáil, thereby sabotaging the arrangement? Could I have a reply from the Minister as to whether these leaflets will be delivered to the constituencies?
This is totally irregular and without precedent. The Deputy may feel strongly but the Chair has no option but to rule it out of order.
It is not just a party political matter for one party to cash in at the public expense. Will the Minister reply or does he wish to convey that the Government do not give a damn about the referendum?
This is a matter of which I only got official information in the last two minutes. If the Deputy's intention is to have some cheap exhibition because of his own desire for publicity I will not co-operate.
(Interruptions.)
That is a cheap comment if there ever was one. Was the Minister here when his colleague said that the copies were in 13 Mount Street?
That was a slip.
That was no slip. It was repeated.
This is one way to sabotage a referendum and we are not going to let that happen. We are going to get those leaflets and distribute them no matter how long it takes.
(Interruptions.)
The Government are playing cheap party politics.
May I have a written reply to Question No. 34? I take it that the Minister will be comprehensive in his reply.
The Deputy will get a written reply. We are not going to have any further matters raised. We have had enough disorderly discussion already. I hope the Deputy will co-operate. The Chair has been overly indulgent.
Yesterday we had a first visit by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and there have been conflicting stories as to what happened.
Does the Deputy wish to raise it on the Adjournment?
I put down a special question.
That was ruled out of order.
I want to know why it was ruled out of order.
The Deputy knows well that he is not entitled to discuss the matter here.
I believe a question of such importance should not have been ruled out of order. I want to protest about the way the Chair ruled this question out of order. It is a question about which the people should know the true position.
Does the Deputy wish to give notice?
If it is still in order I wish to raise the matter on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy.