I move:

Go ndeontar suim Bhreise ná raghaidh thar £5,257 chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1938, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí Oifig an tSoláthair; chun Páipéarachais, Cló-dóireachta, Páipéir, Creamuíochta agus Leabhra Clóbhuailte i gcóir na Seirbhíse Puiblí; agus chun Ilsheirbhísí Ilghnéitheacha maraon le Tuairiscí Díospóireachtaí an Oireachtais.

That a Supplementary sum not exceeding £5,257 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1938, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Stationery Office; for Stationery, Printing, Paper, Binding and Printed Books for the Public Service; and for sundry Miscellaneous Services, including Reports of Oireachtas Debates.

The purposes for which this Supplementary Estimate is required are set out very fully in Part III of the Estimate. There is a number of accidental and casual variations there, due largely to the additional work which was imposed on the Stationery Office last year, first of all by reason of the general election, by reason of the debates on the Constitution, and other matters. There is one new sub-head to which I might refer, and that is sub-head F (8), which provides for the preparation and publication of the Oireachtas Handbook. It is proposed to issue at the expense of the Government a sort of compendium on the lines of the Free State Parliamentary Companion, because it is felt that it is desirable that such a publication should be at the disposal of members of the Oireachtas, and incidentally of those persons who have business with Government Departments, and of the general public who may be interested in matters of Parliamentary Government. We have come to the conclusion that it is not possible, in view of the circumstances here, for such a handbook to be undertaken as a private enterprise, and we are accordingly undertaking that obligation ourselves. We propose, in fact, to purchase whatever rights there may be in the existing Free State Parliamentary Companion, and to continue it as an official publication.

Will there be a "Who's Who" in this one?

Yes, and Deputy Tom Kelly will be in it.

I want to know.

Under sub-head D, would the Minister tell me what statutory authority was there for doling out the Draft Constitution at the post offices all through this country? I take it that sub-head D provides some money for the free distribution in the country of the Draft Constitution prior to the election. Is not that so?

Not for the free distribution, but for the placing of copies of the Constitution in certain public places where they might be inspected by the general public.

And for putting them in the post offices where they could be purchased for a penny or two pence, which was substantially lower than the published price.

The Deputy is in error in that regard. No copy of the Constitution was sold under the cost of production.

I see. Now, in addition to those that were sold, I understand that large numbers of copies of the Constitution were sent around by the Government to various private individuals. Is that true?

The Deputy is in error in that regard. Very large quantities of copies of the cheap edition of the Constitution were purchased by certain people and by a certain organisation, and distributed at their expense.

I see. I presume it was the Fianna Fáil organisation that got it?

That bought it and distributed it.

Bought it and distributed it — this great national charter of fundamental law—and therefore it was not out of the public purse that interested parties were furnished with copies of it, but out of the Fianna Fáil funds. Are we to assume that the Fianna Fáil organisation did not get it at bargain rates?

The Deputy certainly may take it that they paid the usual rates, the same as anybody else.

They paid the usual market price?

Yes, with the usual discount for purchasing a very large quantity.

Oh, really? Would the Minister be good enough to tell us the amount of the discount?

I am sure it was no greater than the ordinary discount would be to anybody who purchases many thousands of copies — certainly not less than the cost of production.

Perhaps the Minister had better think that over twice. However, for the purposes of this distribution, I suppose we may take it that the Fianna Fáil organisation was regarded as a distributor in the ordinary sense of the word. I should like to know whether or not it is open to any person to go in and get distributor's terms from the Government Publications Office in the same way. Suppose, for instance, I were to go in and purchase 20,000 copies for distribution, will I get the same terms as, say, Eason's?

Undoubtedly, if the Deputy asks for terms like that, he would get the ordinary discount.

It seems to me that that matter does not arise in connection with this Vote.

I submit, Sir, that it does arise on sub-head D.

I think the Minister indicated that it did not.

Well, I want to dig it out. I want to discover it. The next point that arises is whether the envelopes in which these copies were distributed were stamped or not.

We will defer that question.

Very well, Sir, but it will come up again. As to this matter of the Parliamentary Handbook, I think that the proposal to publish the handbook is good, and I quite agree that it would have been impossible to carry on its publication as an independent enterprise.

In connection with Deputy Dillon's point, Sir, with regard to the copies of the Constitution that were purchased, I hope he does not think that they were all purchased by the Fianna Fáil organisation. Altogether, 52,000 copies of the Constitution were sold.

Largely to the Fianna Fáil organisation, I presume.

I understand that they bought 20,000 copies, and the general public bought 32,000 copies.

Were the people who bought them sold?

It seems to me that this matter does not arise on this Vote.

Why not?

The Minister said that the purpose of this was the putting of copies of the Constitution before the public.

No, Sir, I respectfully submit that he said that it was partially for the purpose of putting them in places where they would be available for perusal by the public.

Yes, and the rest was for the cost of advertising.

At any rate, our funds are in a healthy condition.

So well they might be.