John Bruton
Ceist:8 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach whether the Government will campaign on the Maastricht Treaty; and, if so, if he will outline the steps the Government will be taking in this regard.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Maastricht Treaty Campaign.
There will be a vigorous Government campaign aimed at securing a strong positive vote in the referendum to be held on 18 June. The planning of the campaign is in train and I expect that further information can be given in the course of the Dáil debate next week on the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
I have previously indicated my openness to co-ordinate the Government campaign with that of other parties campaigning for a "yes" vote. If the Deputy or the leader of any other party in the House wishes to take up this offer on the basis on which it is made, I will be happy to hear from them.
Who will pay for the Government campaign?
I thought that question would be unnecessary. It will be the Government, of course, with funds from the Exchequer.
I take it therefore, that the Fianna Fáil Party will not be paying.
The Fianna Fáil Party will be conducting their own separate campaign.
We will have three campaigns — a Progressive Democrat campaign, a Fianna Fáil campaign and a Government campaign.
(Interruptions.)
A Fine Gael campaign.
The signs are good. Do not spend too much money.
(Interruptions.)
A Deputy
A Des Hanafin campaign.
Let us hear the Deputy in possession.
Would the Taoiseach not agree that he done a serious disservice to Ireland's place in Europe and to the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty by his mistaken decision not to deal with the travel and information issues prior to asking the people to endorse Maastricht?
We are having a widening of the question.
This is the subject of a later question. I can take it now or later, I do not mind. I hope the Fine Gael campaign will be as active as Deputy Bruton has promised it will be, that all members of his party will fully subscribe to the campaign for a yes vote——
Answer the question.
——and that they will not hang back and be inactive.
That is what Fianna Fáil did in 1983.
I will certainly offer them the full co-operation of the Government in their campaign by supplying information and leaflets to them and giving any assistance I can.
The Government should come clean on the issue.
Order. The latter questions from Deputy John Bruton are anticipatory of questions on the Order Paper. Deputy Gay Mitchell.
In relation to question No. 8, will the Taoiseach give the House an absolute assurance that the lethargy shown by the Government in their campaign on the Single European Act will not be repeated and that they will get behind Fine Gael to ensure that this matter is properly debated?
Deputy Mitchell has already made a request in relation to the campaign and I will be glad to respond to it. I can tell him that an active campaign will be carried out by this side of the House. Because so many parties are either sitting on the fence or having a bob each way so as to ensure that they will benefit no matter which way the vote goes it seems that, as always, Fianna Fáil will spearhead this campaign and carry it to victory.
(Interruptions.)
Like they did in relation to the Single European Act.
I call Deputy Spring.
Fianna Fáil spearheaded the Single European Act.
(Interruptions.)
The Deputies ought to get off the fence.
The Government do not know in which direction they are travelling. They are not sure about the information they are getting.
(Interruptions.)
Deputy Dick Spring without interruption.
It is clear——
Deputy Harte, please desist.
I take it that the Taoiseach is referring to the fence which was so well occupied by Fianna Fáil in 1983, 1986 and 1987. May I ask the Taoiseach what money has been spent by the Government to date on the Maastricht campaign, how much money he intends spending on that campaign and the subhead under which the money will be voted?
These matters are worthy of separate questions, Deputy Spring.
Correct.
The Taoiseach has the information.
In relation to the Maastricht campaign, may I ask the Taoiseach the line he intends taking to allay the fears of all fair-minded people in Ireland who are concerned about the stopping of a civil right in so far as women are not allowed to travel nor to have access to information on abortion?
I am again concerned about questions being put now which are anticipatory of questions further down on the Order Paper.
It relates to the Maastricht Treaty.
If the Deputy had attended the campaign launch last Thursday she would know the position.
Deputy Michael D. Higgins has been offering for some time.
The Taoiseach was talking through his hat at the campaign launch.
In relation to the campaign, I wish to ask the Taoiseach a question about his responsibilities as head of the Government. Would the Taoiseach not agree that in that capacity he has a responsibility at a referendum to present fairly all matters of concern and matters which are possibly of different interpretation? Would he not agree that the decision to give, as has happened in regard to the White Paper, an uncritical presentation of benefits to the exclusion of genuine concerns means that a partisan campaign has replaced what should have been a responsible Government campaign? Will the Taoiseach make funding available to those who wish to supply him with questions which they would like answered during the campaign?
I am not aware of any legal or constitutional obligation which obliges me, and the Government, to strive to provide funds to somebody conducting the type of campaign to which the Deputy refers.
The Labour Party are going to fund the Democratic Left in the next general election.
Deputy Monica Barnes.
I wish to ask the Taoiseach a brief question.
It must be a very brief question, Deputy Higgins, so as to facilitate other Deputies.
It is indeed.
Do not fall off the fence.
As a democrat, I accept all of the Ceann Comhairle's rulings. Unfortunately, reference is continually being made to "people running that type of campaign." That was not my question. My question referred to the appropriate role of the Government in presenting a complex case, the need to address all the issues and the abuse of that role by giving a partisan presentation.
I am afraid we cannot afford the luxury of repetition in the limited time at our disposal.
The Taoiseach does not seem to be worried about this issue but he may be surprised to learn the number of fair-minded people who are worried about it.
Deputy Monica Barnes has been called.
May I ask the Taoiseach if he will commence the campaign on the Maastricht Treaty by guaranteeing even odds and a bob each way to the women of Ireland by giving a public commitment both verbally and in writing in regard to the right to travel and freedom of access to information? I am not talking about a sub-committee or any other body. I am asking the Taoiseach to give such a commitment as Leader of the Government.
At the campaign launch last Thursday I gave the commitment which Deputy Barnes is seeking. I would certainly welcome the views of the women members of the Fine Gael Party on where they stand on the entire issue.
It is a democratic issue.
They have been extremely silent on the issue in recent times for reasons I do not know.
We are united as a party on the issue.
Order. I want to call first Deputy Garland and then Deputy John Bruton for a final question.
I wish to ask the Taoiseach two brief supplementaries. Would he not agree that it is totally inappropriate that this lying and propaganda tract should be paid for out of public funds?
There can be no display of material, Deputy.
I beg your pardon, Ceann Comhairle. Has the Taoiseach taken into consideration the way in which the Danish Government have dealt with this matter? They have made available, free of charge, 500,000 copies of the Treaty to their citizens to study.
I hope the Green Party in Ireland will take a leaf out of the book of the Green Party in many other countries throughout Europe and support the Maastricht Treaty.
We will not support any of this propaganda.
I should like to remind the Deputy and the House that the Government have a right and a duty to express and promote their policy on a fundamental decision which has to be taken by the Irish people. The summary of the Treaty contains factual information. A copy of that every man's guide will be sent to every household in the country.
The odd woman——
(Interruptions.)
With regard to the expenditure of public funds by the Government on the White Paper or other publicity in the campaign, it is clear from the Constitution that the expenditure of public money is a matter uniquely for the Government to be supervised by the Orieachtas and the Comptroller and Auditor General.
It is like a Lenten pastoral from the thirties.
Is there a unique guide for women?
Deputy John Bruton for a final question.
May I ask the Taoiseach in all seriousness what good purpose he thinks he was serving in this House a few months ago in seeking to create some doubt about the position of the main Opposition party on this matter? Is the Taoiseach not aware that on the first day the Maastricht Treaty was brought in here for debate, I, on behalf of the Fine Gael Party, made it very clear that we were strongly endorsing it? We have never deviated once from that position. I wish to tell the Taoiseach——
A question, please, Deputy.
——that we will be campaigning vigorously, that we have appointed Deputy Gay Mitchell as our director of elections——
A sound man.
——that we will campaign with our own resources and will not ask for any help from the parties opposite. Will the Government give a clear assurance that any literature paid for out of public funds will not be designed in such a way as to be useful only to one political party? The so-called guide which has been produced and which is signed by the Taoiseach is clearly a Fianna Fáil document and should not be paid for out of public funds. May I ask the Taoiseach to make it absolutely clear——
Please, Deputy, let us not deal with the debate on the matter now.
——that any public funds devoted to this matter will be devoted in a non-partisan way and not to the benefit of any one party in this House?
The Deputy can be assured that, as normal, any expenditure will be subject to scrutiny by the Comptroller and Auditor General and will undoubtedly be spent in the correct way.
The Government would want to scrap that leaflet for a start.
I welcome Deputy Bruton's full and whole-hearted support for a yes vote and I hope no more conditions will be attached to it between now and voting day.
What is the Taoiseach talking about?
Some members are attempting to attach conditions to it. I am delighted that a fully united Fine Gael Party will be campaigning for a yes vote. I appreciate that——
The Taoiseach does not have a united party. Deputy Michael Noonan, Senator Des Hanafin——
(Interruptions.)
Question No. 9.
Where are the Taoiseach's backbenchers today? They are notable by their absence.
(Interruptions.)
I am glad Fine Gael are finally into line.