asked the Minister for Home Affairs upon whose advice Peace Commissioners in Cork City have been appointed, and if any of the Dáil representatives of that constituency were consulted prior to the appointment of those Commissioners.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - CORK PEACE COMMISSIONERS.
Mr. O'HIGGINS
I propose to answer this question at somewhat more length than is, perhaps, strictly necessary. I do not consider it is necessary to disclose the processes by which selections were made for the office of Peace Commissioners in Cork City or elsewhere, beyond stating generally that full advantage was taken of such official sources of information as were available. It was open to Cork Deputies, in common with Deputies from other areas, as indeed it was open to any private individual, to put forward recommendations for my consideration. I am not aware that any recommendations were received from the Deputies for Cork City. Only five Peace Commissioners, however, have been appointed to date for Cork City, and if Deputies wish to make any recommendations now I shall be pleased to consider them. I take this opportunity however, of saying that any objections I have heard to any of the appointments made up to the present have been based on purely political grounds, and I would like to make it clear that these are not political appointments, and, so far as I am concerned, a person who is otherwise suitable and willing to act is not going to be considered ineligible merely because his sectional political opinions are not those of the majority.
Can the Minister say, arising out of that reply, whether or not it is true to state that the recommendations accepted by him in the first instance are based on the recommendations of the Civic Guard and Civic Magistrates, and whether he thinks it desirable to accept recommendations from people who are only resident for such a short period in those areas? Does he know that the appointments made are appointments of men who are well known for their anti-Labour attitude.
Mr. O'HIGGINS
I have full use of all the official sources of information available. It is necessary that a type of citizen should be selected who would be most unlikely to find himself figuring in the dock.
Is it to be inferred that the matter has followed on the information supplied by the Civic Guards and the Civic Magistrates, who are only resident for a short period in the area, and who could not know everything that was going on?
Mr. O'HIGGINS
I have got the information from five or six different sources. I have checked the recommendations of one from the other, so that each name went through three or four checks before being finally adopted.
I would ask if the advice of the State Solicitor in Cork has been taken?
Mr. O'HIGGINS
I am not going to state specifically whose advice was taken, or whose advice will be taken in the future, because the people whose advice will be taken in the future might be embarrassed by too many invitations to tea.
Therefore the Minister does not regard public opinion as a consideration.
The Deputy will be quite aware that that is not a supplementary question.