Vol. 398 No. 10
4 Mr. Dukes asked the Taoiseach the expenditure incurred by his Department in 1988 and 1989 on video productions and communications courses; the companies which were the recipients of such payments; and the purpose of the expenditure.
I propose to circulate the details of expenditure in the Official Report
Department of the Taoiseach
Details of Expenditure on Video Productions and Communications courses in 1988 and 1989
|
Year |
Company |
Purpose |
Cost |
|
1988 |
Video Productions |
||
|
1988 |
Windmill Lane Pictures Ltd. |
(i) Video on the visit of the Saudi Royal Prince to Ireland |
£24,515.70 |
|
(ii) Video on speeches made by the Taoiseach and President Mitterrand at a banquet in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham |
£1,654.53 |
||
|
Communications Course |
|||
|
Catholic Communications Institute of Ireland |
Attendance by official of the Central Statistics Office at course on witten communications |
£50.00 |
|
|
1988 |
Total: |
£26,220.23 |
|
|
1989 |
Video Productions |
||
|
Michael Muldoon Productions |
Video for display to visitors on artefacts in the Ceramics Room of the National Museum |
£5,940.00 |
|
|
Crann, The Woodland Management Trust |
Grant by the National Heritage Council for the production of a video on tree planting in the urban environment |
£3,500.00 |
|
|
Communications Course |
|||
|
Carr Communications |
Communications Course undertaken by an officer of the Department |
£80.00 |
|
|
Institute of Public Administration |
Attendance by one officer of the Central Statistics Office at a course on media studies |
£260.00 |
|
|
1989 |
Total: |
£9,780.00 |
Will the Taoiseach confirm that in 1988 his Department paid RTE £10,000 to prepare a film presentation on the Irish economy to be shown to the President of the Commission, Mr. Delors?
No, I do not think so. I can give the Deputy a quick run down of the video productions in 1988. There was a video for display to visitors on artefacts in the Ceramics Room of the National Museum. There was also a grant by the National Heritage Council for the production of a video on tree planting in the urban environment. A communications course was undertaken by an officer of the Department and there was attendance by one officer of the Central Statistics Office at a course on media studies. The total for that year was £9,780.
Is the Taoiseach aware that footage from film presentation on the Irish economy prepared for the visit of President Delors was subsequently used by RTE as the introduction to a special "Today Tonight" programme in advance of the budget, 1989? Is the Taoiseach further aware that an independent commission having reviewed that film footage, regard it as being potentially manipulative? Does the Taoiseach not think it wrong that RTE would use, as the introduction to a current affairs programme in advance of the budget, a piece of film originally paid for by the Government?
Probably everything the Deputy says is right but I do not think it is founded on fact. My Department certainly had nothing to do with any such video and I know nothing about such a video being prepared in any Government Department. I will look into it further but I have given the Deputy all the video productions in which my Department were involved in 1988.
And 1989?
Yes.
Will the Taoiseach reinvestigate the matter to establish (a) whether film footage, paid for by the Government, was used as an introduction to a programme in January 1989 and (b) in the light of that information consider whether it is proper for film prepared in that way and paid for by the Government to be used as an introduction to a current affairs programme?
I will certainly do that but I suggest that the Deputy goes back to his source because I do not think the information he received is very reliable.
We will compare it.
