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Volume 9 1948~1951

Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 341 NAI TSCH/3/S4756B

Department of External Affairs memorandum for Government
'Irish Participation in Inter-Parliamentary Meetings'
(340/12/66)

Dublin, 9 June 1949

  1. Meetings between members of Parliaments in different countries afford an important means of making our policies better known abroad and of influencing official opinion in other countries in our favour.
  2. In the past, we have had official connections with two inter-Parliamentary organisations - the Inter-Parliamentary Union, whose membership embraces representatives of all countries, and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, whose membership has hitherto been restricted to Parliaments of Commonwealth countries. Opinions have differed widely as to the comparative utility of these two organisations, and this divergence of view has been sharpened by political difficulties arising from the official title and character of the latter body. In the result, our participation in neither body has been as active and effective as it might have been, with the consequence that the opportunities for gaining sympathy and influence which participation in inter-Parliamentary meetings affords have been, to a large extent, lost.
  3. The difficulties which in the past stood in the way of our full participation in the activities of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association are about to disappear, if they have not already done so. In the course of conversations which he had on the matter in London earlier this year, the Minister for External Affairs was informed that the constitution of the organisation was about to be amended in such a way as to enable countries like Ireland and the United States, which are not members of the Commonwealth, to take part in the meetings of the Association. If this is done, the Minister for External Affairs would strongly favour representation at the Association's meetings. Particularly from the point of view of the campaign against Partition, the importance and value of personal contacts with Parliamentarians of countries like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa more than outweigh, in his mind, any theoretical objection that can be urged against participation on the ground of the originally 'Commonwealth' character of the organisation.
  4. Membership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union is also important. The Union has a strong membership in the British Parliament, and, in view of its widely representative character, its meetings would afford us opportunities of personal contacts with Parliamentary circles in other countries which would be otherwise very difficult to develop.
  5. It is desirable also to make provision for our representation at various kinds of international meetings of an inter-Parliamentary character, other than those held under the auspices of the two organisations mentioned above. An example of this is the Conference to be held under the auspices of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs in Toronto next September. Most of the people who attend such meetings are members of the legislature in their respective countries, and the opportunities which they afford are not less valuable than those offered by the more formal meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. A representative of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs visited Dublin to urge that a delegation should be sent to the Toronto Conference.1 On the basis of the information he furnished, the Minister considers the Conference likely to be an important one, and it is desirable, therefore, that we should have an effective and representative delegation at it.
  6. In the Minister's view, therefore, proper provision should be made to enable this country to take a more active and effective part in inter-Parliamentary activities than it has done in the past. It would be helpful if a single Inter-Parliamentary Association could be formed here which would maintain contact with all existing inter-Parliamentary organisations and activities so that, by payment of a single subscription, members of the Dáil and Seanad could be kept in touch with, and have a chance of participating in, all inter-Parliamentary bodies abroad. In any case, the Minister feels it should be the object of Government policy to promote and encourage adequate representation at inter-Parliamentary conferences and, generally speaking, to foster a more active interest in inter-Parliamentary activities among members of the Oireachtas. As one means of doing this, he considers it desirable that provision should be made for the proper reception and entertainment by our own Inter-Parliamentary Association of Parliamentarians from other countries visiting Ireland.
  7. If the Government approves of this general policy, the Minister for External Affairs proposes:-
    • that the Ceann Comhairle should be invited to arrange a meeting of all members of the Dáil and Seanad, including in particular the Executive Committees of both the existing inter-Parliamentary associations, for the purpose of considering and implementing the suggestions contained in this Memorandum;
    • that a sum of £5,000 be provided by way of Supplementary Estimate to cover the cost of membership of associations of an inter-Parliamentary character; representation at the Conferences organised by such associations, as well as at other international Conferences and meetings attended by members of foreign Parliaments; and the reception and entertainment of foreign Parliamentarians visiting Ireland.2

1 The delegation comprised Brendan Corish TD, Senator Michael Hayes, Alfred Byrne TD and Harold Douglas (a son of Senator James Douglas).

2 Following discussion of this memorandum on 15 June (GC 5/100) approval was given to the proposal that the Ceann Comhairle should be invited to arrange a meeting of all members of the Dáil and Seanad Éireann for the purpose of considering and implementing the suggestions contained in the memorandum and that total expenditure on the item would not exceed £3,000 in the financial year 1949.

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