andMr. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry if a person (details supplied) visited Dingle and Baltimore boatyards recently; and, if so, at whose invitation and the nature of the visit.

23.

andMr. Deasy asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry if he is aware of a recent visit by a person (details supplied) to Dingle boatyard and if such a visit had prior approval of the Comptroller and Auditor General, and if not, if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 22 and 23 together.

I understand from An Bord Iascaigh Mhara that the person named recently visited the two boatyards in question. The visit was not prearranged with the board but it is understood that it stemmed from an interest on the part of the person concerned in acquiring one or other of the yards should the board decide to transfer them to private interests.

The Comptroller and Auditor General has no function in the matter.

Is the Minister aware that this Mr. X, the visitor, is a well-known funeral director and that he was possibly looking forward to getting an undertaking job of the three yards?

Has he made any effort to bury them?

Order, please. Deputy Murphy, it is not in accordance with the best parliamentary behaviour to refer to persons outside in that manner.

I said "Mr. X".

The House should have better respect.

Could the Minister give the date or dates of the visits in question?

I do not have information like that. This is a free country. People are entitled to go around and look at State boatyards. The board have no information on this matter, nor have I any information. If Deputy O'Keeffe or any friend of his wants to go along and look at a boatyard he can do so. It was on that basis I understand that this particular gentlemen referred to here did so. There is nothing sinister about the matter at all.

Was any contact made by the gentleman in question with the board or any member of the staff of An Bord Iascaigh Mhara prior to such visits?

No.

How then is the Minister able to tell the House that such visits were made?

I will tell the Deputy why—because there is a very efficient grapevine that emanates from Dingle and I found out about it very quickly.

How is it that the Minister is unable to tell us the dates of such visits?

The Deputy knows how these things happen in rural Ireland. We do not issue formal invitations to people to visit places, do we? They just happen and we hear about them through the grapevine that exists in rural Ireland.

So the Minister is replying to a parliamentary question on the basis of gossip he has picked up in the country?

The Deputy should not be so formalistic about all of this, really.

Is the Minister now saying to the House that neither he nor An Bord Iascaigh Mhara knew that Mr. X was to visit the Dingle boatyard?

No, I can assure the Deputy.

Is he further stating to the House that Mr. X did not meet the Minister in the not so distant past? Is the Minister categorically telling the House that no such meeting took place? I am asking the Minister straight out now: did Mr. X meet the Minister in this House in the not so distant past?

I do not remember anything——

Now, Minister——

Deputy Begley is bringing the whole thing into a comic area.

For God's sake.

We are not here in comedy. We are talking about a serious business.

Is the Minister's memory leaving him?