asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will make a statement on the recent reports in the press of widespread telephone tapping quoting the legislation under which the Government authorise such activities.
38.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Tapping and Postal Interference.
37.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will make a statement on recent newspaper reports emanating from sources within his Department that telephone tapping is widespread in Dublin and throughout the country, and that the people who are subjected to this are not involved in crime or subversion.
39.
andMr. Deasy asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will make a comprehensive statement on recent reports concerning the tapping of telephones and the opening of mail by his Department; if he will confirm that the telephones and post of politicians, journalists and others are being tapped or interfered with; the number of authorisations granted, the standards of monitoring or the criteria which apply in such circumstances, if he has satisfied himself that such a procedure is necessary with particular reference to the invasion of privacy this constitutes, the principle on which such approval is granted and the process of selection of individuals or organisations for such treatment.
40.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will outline the procedure adopted for the authorised tapping of telephones, if it is possible for unauthorised telephone tapping to take place, and if any such cases have been brought to his notice.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 to 40 inclusive, together.
Except in certain well defined cases such as telephone calls monitored at the request of the subscriber or letters opened because they are undeliverable, telephone calls and letters are intercepted by my Department only in compliance with warrants issued by the Minister for Justice. The circumstances in which warrants are issued are matters for the Minister for Justice.
I am not aware that any unauthorised interception of telephone calls is taking place and no such case has come to my notice. If evidence of any such interception is brought to my notice, the matter will be reported to the Director of Public Prosecutions for such action as he may consider appropriate.
Have the Department carried out an investigation as a result of reports in the press some time ago about telephone tapping which was attributed to a section of the Department?
There was a report in The Irish Times last month attributing to the Dublin No. 4 Branch of the Irish Post Office Engineering Union a statement that telephone tapping was widespread. Naturally we are not prepared to comment on an anonymous report and I am sure the Opposition will agree.
The House is entitled to know if the people to whom the report was attributed were questioned.
It was an anonymous report. I expect Deputy Deasy would do likewise——
The public are entitled to an explanation.
From The Irish Times, yes.
The Minister is saying that there was no substance to the report.
I am saying it was an anonymous report. Would the Deputy expect me to investigate an anonymous report?
I would expect the Minister to make inquiries.
What does the Minister mean by "anonymous report"? Most newspaper reports are anonymous in that they appear as news items, sometimes over the byline of a journalist, but usually not. What does the Minister mean by anonymity in this context?
The man who made the report did not have his name at the top of the article.
Are we to assume that any news story without a name on it is to be ignored, regardless of the possible damage of what is in it?
No, I disagree with Deputy FitzGerald. On such an allegation it is not normal. In my opinion it was a very serious allegation for such a paper to make.
The Deputy is ill-informed about the press. He must not read the papers much. Most news items published as news items are not over the byline of a journalist. That is not anonymity, it is reporting in the press and the Minister has a responsibility to investigate it.
I am not talking about a news item but a statement.
Would the Minister not agree that, when a report like that appears in a very reputable daily newspaper and the Minister says he did not investigate it any further because it was not a signed article, it is reasonable to assume that the editor accepts responsibility for such an article, particularly an article dealing with such a sensitive area.
Deputy Deasy's question asked about a statement, not an article.
The Minister should not mince words.
I am not mincing words; the Deputy is.
Is it correct that the Minister has not made any inquiries?
No, because it was an anonymous statement.
There was a great deal of public concern over this article that not only were criminals and subversives——
We are not talking about an article. The question mentioned a statement and my reply concerned a statement, not a news item.
In view of the public concern created by that statement, will the Minister give an assurance that he will investigate it?
First, I do not think there was great public concern——
There certainly was.
I do not think so.
That is a matter of opinion.
Second, which is far more important, I always understood that if a statement is being made in the press a person puts his name to it. If we are talking about an article, as suggested by Deputy Cluskey, that is a separate question.
If such an inquiry is not held——
We are having an argument about statements and articles.
——people will believe there is some substance in the statement.
Would the Minister not accept that he has a certain responsibility to allay public concern caused by the publication of the article?
Would the Minister not agree that this certainly will give rise to public concern, over and above the original article, when he is so unwilling to investigate this matter and so ambivalent in his approach to it? Would he not agree that in view of the way he answered these questions there is now very serious reason to seek to have the matter investigated?
I am answering the question on the Order Paper according to precedent in this House. The question put to me was would I investigate this statement in the paper. If that was a statement why did the person who made it not put his name to it? That was an anonymous statement and therefore I will not investigate it nor would I expect Deputy FitzGerald, Deputy Cluskey or anybody else to investigate it. If that were the case I would spend half of my time investigating anonymous letters and press reports. I know that the Opposition would not like me to be wasting my time in the Department.
Does the Minister accept that he is not enhancing his reputation on credibility by his unwillingness to face up to the issue raised here and by his attempt to dodge it?
That is argument.
Why is the Minister afraid to investigate it?
Questions Nos. 41 and 42 are for written reply.
I have answered the question three times. Warrants issued by the Minister for Justice are not the concern of this Department. We merely act on foot of the warrants.
Surely the Minister should have an internal investigation in view of the statement.
For what?
To find out if it is true.
Order, please.
(Interruptions.)
The Deputy is making a mountain out of a molehill. Like the Lough Ness monster, it raises its head occasionally when it suits some of the Opposition Deputies.
(Interruptions.)
It is a totally unsatisfactory reply.
The practice in my Department on that issue has been the same since the foundation of the State and Deputy FitzGerald knows that. The Deputy is trying to create a mountain out of a molehill.