asked the Minister for Local Government whether he is aware that general dissatisfaction has been expressed by ratepayers in Co. Longford, at the action of the Co. Longford County Council in granting a pension of £72 per annum to ex-Rate Collector Leavy; whether the legality of this pension has been questioned, on the grounds that rate-collectors worked on a commission and not on a salary basis, and were not whole-time officers; whether the Ministry has examined this case from this view point, and with what result; and if not, whether the matter will be reconsidered and a decision given which takes into account—firstly, the terms upon which this man worked at the collection of rates for the Longford County Council; and, secondly, the interests of the ratepayers.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. [ORAL ANSWERS.] - CO. LONGFORD RATE COLLECTOR'S PENSION.
DONCADH O GUAIRE
I am not aware of any expression of dissatisfaction by ratepayers generally at the action of the Co. Council in this case.
Mr. Leavy was granted a pension of £72 6s. 11d. by the Co. Council on the 19th August, 1922, after over 23 years' service and at the age of 71 years. Sanction to the pension was sought in November, 1922, on these grounds and with the intimation that he had given whole-time service to the Council. There being no reason for withholding the required statutory consent, the Ministry agreed on the 3rd January last.
No protest was made against the proposal until March of this year, over half a year since the Council granted the pension.
The fact that the Rate Collectors work on a poundage basis does not differentiate their cases from others employed on specific salaries.
I see no reason to assume that the interests of the ratepayers have been neglected in awarding this old man a small pension. I cannot entertain belated objections to matters in which a binding decision has already been come to. The consent is final and the case cannot be re-opened.
Arising out of that answer, am I to understand that part-time officers engaged on conditions like every other rate collector in the country are entitled to pensions?
Where the rate collector has mainly derived his livelihood from his business as a collector, and where any other occupation in which he has been engaged has been a minor factor, it has been the practice to rule that he would be entitled to a pension; but where his other business constituted a major or considerable part of his income, he was held to be a part-time officer and not entitled. It is a matter in which it is very difficult to draw the line, and we have in each case tried to decide as fairly as we could whether or not he was entitled to a pension both in the interests of the ratepayers and also having in view that where service was given the man would, if necessary, have given his whole time to the work, and that it was his whole means of livelihood.