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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 17 Jul 1928

Vol. 25 No. 5

(CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS). (ORAL ANSWERS). - OVERSEER OF BUILDINGS.

asked the Minister for Finance whether a vacancy in the Department of Public Works for an overseer of buildings for Dublin, Division F., has existed since October last; whether it is intended to make any appointment for the post; if so, whether it is intended to make a selection from qualified men amongst the existing staff of the Board of Works, by way of promotion; if not, whether it is intended to hold an examination into the qualifications of applicants, and appoint the candidate who receives the highest marks; and, if not, whether he can state how it is proposed to make the selection.

The post of overseer of the buildings in the Phoenix Park district fell vacant in October last and the question of filling it has been under consideration for some time. It was decided recently to fill the vacancy. The qualifications and suitability of the carpenters in charge and working foremen within the existing Board of Works staff were reviewed and after careful consideration a selection was eventually made from outside of a man possessing the necessary technical knowledge and considered to fulfil most suitably the particular requirements for the position.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary state, seeing as he alleges that the men employed in that particular Department had not the necessary qualification, why was not some examination held before the appointment was actually made?

Mr. BOURKE

It would be very difficult to discover by means of an examination whether a candidate was suitable for this particular post. It is a very responsible position. The man who holds this position is in charge of the buildings in the Park, very important public buildings. He requires to be a man having technical knowledge and experience, preferably a man with a knowledge of carpentry and also building works generally. As well as that he has to come in contact with people of very high rank and has to be in a position to discuss various matters with them in a suitable manner. It is not easy to find such a man. As a matter of fact this position was previously held by a man who was brought from another country—from Scotland—and it has always been a difficult matter to find a man for this post.

In view of the fact that the Parliamentary Secretary states that this is a post requiring highly technical knowledge of the building trade, does he not consider that that is all the more reason why an examination should have been held for this post or why the position should not have been advertised so that qualified men would apply for it?

Mr. BOURKE

I do not think it would be possible by means of an examination to find out whether a man was qualified for a post like that or not. How could you examine a carpenter by means of an examination? It would be impossible.

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