den Aire Poist agus Telegrafa an costas a bhí beartaithe aige i gcomhair Radio na Gaeltachta; agus an costas anois.

I dtosach báire, measadh gurbh é an costas caipitil a bheadh ann dhá chéad caoga ceathair míle punt. Nuair a chuirtear san áireamh leathnú na seirbhíse ar fud na tíre go léir ar an gcóras VHF, mar atá beartaithe, sí an tsuim is deireannaí a mheastar a theastós i leith costais chaipitil trí chéad agus ochtó míle punt.

58.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the method of selection used to choose the eleven representatives of the people of the Gaeltacht on Comhairle Radio na Gaeltachta.

I selected the members of Comhairle Radio na Gaeltachta in the light of their experience and suitability for the duties involved.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that at least nine and possibly ten of the people appointed to this board are well-known Fianna Fáil performers, some of them public representatives other than platform performers? Is this a coincidence, or is it a necessary qualification for appointment to the board that one must be a member of Fianna Fáil?

I am not aware of the political persuasion of these people. Most of them are unknown to me——

I thought the Parliamentary Secretary said that he had selected them?

However, it is perfectly in order that on average in a group such as this——

There must be nine or ten members of Fianna Fáil.

There must be a proportionate number.

What proportion?

Would the Parliamentary Secretary like to hear from the Sunday Independent of 27th February last the qualifications of those members?—all either councillors, ex-councillors or public performers on platforms on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party during elections? There is a full list of them here if the Parliamentary Secretary would like to hear them.

I have the full list here.

Has the Parliamentary Secretary a list of the qualifications as members and supporters of the Fianna Fáil Party or was this a coincidence?

Arising out of the Minister's rather astonishing reply to Deputy Belton's question would the Minister state by what process he came to select persons whom he now says he does not know and knows nothing about? Who recommended them? How was it done?

Is it Mount Street?

As the Deputy is aware, of course, I am replying on behalf of the Minister. When I said so I was referring to my own personal experience. It is most unfair for the Deputy to seek to put something on the record which is not correct. I am sure that, when the Minister came to consider the appointment of people to this board, he took into consideration everything necessary for a member of the board to carry out his functions properly, that is, the functions of a member of Comhairle Radio na Gaeltachta.

Patronage did not enter into it?

I think we are entitled to expect that the person who stands in to answer for a Minister has the facts and can give them. Does the acting-Minister not consider that confidence in the Gaeltacht in Comhairle Radio na Gaeltachta would have been greatly enhanced and this kind of imputation would have been avoided, if the people of the principal Gaeltachtaí had been given an opportunity to select their own representatives, and then other persons could have been added? Would the acting Minister further say whether consideration will now be given to strengthening Comhairle Radio na Gaeltachta by adding to it persons elected by the people of the Gaeltachtaí——

The Deputy is enlarging the question.

(Cavan): They have been playing politics with the Gaeltacht for the past 30 years and they are not likely to stop now.

I regret that the Minister is not here. The Parliamentary Secretary may not be fully equipped to answer these accusations. Would the Parliamentary Secretary bring to the notice of the Minister that public opinion seems to be outraged by the fact that at least nine if not ten of these representatives are prominently identified with the Fianna Fáil Party? Is this a coincidence?

Most of the people of the Gaeltacht support Fianna Fáil.

In reply to the suggestion by Deputy Cruise-O'Brien about an election by the people of the Gaeltachtaí, I do not know whether this would be feasible. The distance one can go reasonably in this is to select people who are——

Fianna Fáil.

Who have their cumann cards.

——on public bodies operating in the Gaeltacht or in organisations operating in the Gaeltacht. By and large this is what has been done. In reply to the supplementary by Deputy Belton before replying to this question I certainly did not inquire from the Minister what the politics of these people were.

(Cavan): You assumed they were Fianna Fáil.

I do not intend to do that and I am sure the Minister did not do it when making the appointments.

Is Castlerea part of the Gaeltacht?

The man appointed is a native speaker who was born in the Gaeltacht.

And is a member of Fianna Fáil.

I do not know about that.

The Deputy should not believe everything he reads in the Independent.