andMr. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he intends to take steps to recover public moneys paid out in grants towards the cost of archaeological excavations where the provisions of the National Monuments Acts in regard to the reporting of finds and the adherence to the terms of excavation licences have not been adhered to.

No.

The grants are made to further archaeological research and the full interpretation of the results may require much research and investigation and a great deal of time.

The Commissioners of Public Works are satisfied to accept a full report at the end of the necessary study and investigation of the finds and I see no reason why they should depart from this policy.

I do intend, however, to ask them to arrange with the Director of the National Museum that he would inform them, in future, at the end of each year whether the conditions which involve the National Museum have been fulfilled to this satisfaction.

Would the Minister not agree that there is a condition that in respect of any archaeological object found a report of its finding must be lodged within 14 days of the finding of the object? It is clear from a reply the Minister gave that this condition has not been complied with in a large number of cases in which the archaeologist responsible had received substantial amounts of public moneys, amounting to many thousands of pounds. Will the Minister tell the House why he is not prepared to take any steps to recover that money because clearly the people who have received it have not been complying with their legal obligations?

The Deputy should ask a question and not make a long statement.

The Deputy asked a question.

He did not do so until the end of a long statement.

It is very difficult to reply to that. They are given the grant for excavation, to pay workmen and the other people involved. It would be difficult for us to ask for a report on all details. I should like to inform the Deputy that section 23 of the National Monuments Act 1930 as amended by section 13 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1954, stipulates that every person who finds any archaeological object shall, within 14 days after he has found such an object, make a report of such finding to a member of the Garda Síochána or the Director of the National Museum. While this is a reasonable requirement in the case of the finding, accidental or otherwise, of isolated archaeological objects, it is not always easy to comply with it in the case of an archaeological excavation likely to be in progress for many years where sometimes hundreds of objects of a routine nature can come to light in the course of the excavation. The commissioners consider that this condition should be interpreted in a reasonable manner and would be satisfied if periodic reports of finds were made to the satisfaction of the National Museum, pending submission of the final report. The commissioners would expect, however, that any finds of exceptional importance would be reported promptly.

Would the Minister agree that what he has stated is tantamount to saying that there is one law for the ordinary person who finds something, but that there is a much more lenient law for the archaeologist, who is in receipt of public money, who finds something?

The archaeologist is a much more responsible person.

The law is the law and it applies to everybody.

Is the Deputy accusing our archaeologists of being crooks?

I am asking questions but I am not getting answers.

The Minister is twisting the Deputy's question and he knows it. He should allow the Minister of State answer the questions put to him.

Would the Chair tell the House the Minister responsible?

I resent these attacks on our archaeologists. They are a professional body of responsible men.

Nobody is attacking the archaeologists.

The Deputies are accusing them of bad faith.

That is not correct. The Minister is deliberately distorting the question.

The Deputies are attacking the archaeological profession. It is a disgraceful behaviour.

The Minister is being disorderly even though he is the senior politician here.

We must have order on both sides.

26.