To ask the Minister for Finance whether it has been the practice of the Military Authorities to notify the heads of Government Departments to the effect that payment of salary to Government servants against whom certain reports are made or received must be suspended; whether a Government Department is bound to suspend payment on receipt of such notification; in that case with whom does the duty lie of investigating the truth or otherwise of such charges as may be made, and whether it is not a fact that some public servants have had their salaries held up for several months as a result of such reports, while the Military Authorities took no action towards establishing the truth or otherwise of the charges on which suspension of payment was founded.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. - MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
The Government has ordered the suspension of any official who is believed to be in complicity with the irregular forces, and such suspensions as have been made were carried out because of good reason to believe that the official did not give that faithful service which the Government must expect from its servants. These suspensions have, happily, been very few in number. In every case enquiry is made by the Military Authorities.
If the Deputy has any particular case in mind and will communicate with me I will enquire into the circumstances.