asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the circumstances under which two Irish nationals on holiday (details supplied) were stranded in the US, due to illness, and were refused help from the Irish Consul-General in San Francisco; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I have informed myself of the circumstances. It is not correct that the holidaymakers in question were refused assistance. Irish offices abroad do not have public funds at their disposal to assist holidaymakers who incur expenses abroad, forseen or unforseen. However, apart from financial assistance, the Consul-General in San Francisco was as helpful as possible in obtaining bookings on flights back to Ireland at the best available price.

Are there provisions in Irish embassies abroad for the repatriation of Irish nationals back to their country, and would the embassy pay for this in exceptional circumstances where people find themselves impoverished through no fault of their own?

Where there are such exceptional circumstances I expect the diplomatic office to take them into account. As far as I am aware there were no such exceptional circumstances in this case.

Is the Minister aware that these were two old age pensioners who went to visit friends on a special flight, that the woman became dangerously ill, was in intensive care and it was considered that she would not survive? She did survive and then was told that her return flight had been cancelled and they found themselves penniless. Is the Minister aware of this fact and the fact that she went to the Consul-General who treated her with contemptuous disregard and said it was no business of the Irish embassy nor of the Consul-General to finance their return or to loan them money?

I am not so aware. It is a very unfair implication by the Deputy against the Consul-General who is a person of great concern, much respected in that region. It is regrettable that that should have been stated. When the Deputy talks about their financial position he will be aware that the people concerned have relatives in that region who were able to arrange for their return journey, as they did.

The Minister is misinformed. This is a very serious matter.

We have dealt with it now.

The Minister is misinformed. In fact a relative in London had to sell a car to provide the money. In view of the fact that the Minister has been misinformed will he consider investigating the case further and communicating with me privately, because I do not want to make a show about this. The Minister has been given wrong information.

I do not accept that I have been.

The couple told me exactly what happened. They had to get a message to London to have a car sold to provide them with the fare home.

That information was not conveyed to me.

In the light of that information——

I will communicate with the Deputy.