Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 28 Mar 1973

Vol. 265 No. 2

Committee on Finance. - Vote 41: Transport and Power.

Minister for Transport and Power (Mr. P. Barry)

I move:

That a supplementary sum not exceeding £2,382,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1973, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Transport and Power, including certain services administered by that Office, and for payment of sundry grants-in-aid.

The Estimate results from excesses on four subheads and a shortfall in receipts from Appropriations-in-Aid totalling £4,695,000 less savings on five subheads totalling £2,382,000.

The sum of £200,000 under subhead A. is mainly required for meeting increases in remuneration during the year for the staff of my Department. A sum of £2,732,000 is required for increased subvention to CIE. The decline of £1,330,000 in receipts from Appropriations-in-Aid relates mainly to receipts from airport operations. An additional sum of £168,000 is required for the acquisition of land at airports. A new subhead provides for a grant of £265,000 to air companies towards the cost of war risk insurance premiums and special security measures.

Mr. O'Kennedy

I should like to express to the Minister for Transport and Power my personal good wishes for his success. I hope his stay in office will be somewhat longer than was my period of office in the Department of Transport and Power. I should like also to thank the Minister for being so prompt during the last weekend in denying reports that once again had circulated regarding negotiations on landing rights at Shannon Airport.

One group of newspapers in particular—the Independent newspaper chain—referred on two occasions in the last week to the fact that the incoming Minister had inherited the situation that the previous Minister and Government had conceded certain claims. During the last few weeks while I was still Minister I corrected that impression which was created by columnists in the Irish Independent. One would have thought that when this was pointed out to them, and having regard to their standards of journalism, the Sunday Independent on Sunday last would not have repeated this error. In a prominent position on the front page by a special correspondent who was unnamed it was stated:

One, if not two American Airlines will fly into Dublin from May 1st. This is the situation which the new Minister for Transport and Power found facing him when he took office from Mr. Michael O'Kennedy. The agreement to this effect has already been reached. So ends the battle to keep them out which has been going on for five years.

There is not much we can say here in answer to special correspondents who are unnamed. However, if they had regard to the same standard of ethics in journalism as they preach we should have in politics they would at least have heeded the fact that the statement had been proved to be untrue. I do not wish to make any comment whatever on what stage negotiations had reached.

I hope that the Sunday Independent will at least give the same prominence to this statement of mine as they gave on the front page last Sunday to a statement which was blatantly and totally incorrect. I should like to thank the Minister for being so prompt in denying it and to wish him well in the further negotiations on this matter. I think he, the Press and the public will find that the previous Government and my predecessors in this office, and their advisers, served the nation well in this matter. I hope the Minister will do the same in the conclusion of these negotiations.

Mr. P. Barry

I am sorry that Deputy O'Kennedy brought up the matter of landing rights at Dublin Airport. I think it should be left out of this debate at the moment. Deputy O'Kennedy knows the reasons for that. As regards his fight with the Sunday Independent he should take that up himself in another place. That is his own business and it has nothing to do with this House.

Mr. Briscoe

I wrote a letter to them——

Mr. P. Barry

I did not interrupt Deputy O'Kennedy and I should be given the same courtesy. Deputy O'Kennedy knows the present position and I can assure him that whatever I do will be done for the benefit of the tourist trade, Aer Lingus and the country as a whole. He can accept that. I should like to thank him for his congratulations and his good wishes to me.

Question put and agreed to.