asked the Minister for Finance if he is prepared before taking any further action under Circular 9/30, dated 28/2/30—Promotion of Writing Assistants to the Clerical Grade—to obtain the views of the Civil Service Representative Council thereon, in view of the important questions of principle raised by its terms.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Writing Assistants' Promotion.
The Civil Service Representative Council have already had the subject of promotion of writing assistants to the clerical grade under consideration more than once and have acquainted me with their views. It is, therefore, unnecessary for me to have the matter brought forward again at the Council.
Am I to take it that the matter of this particular circular has been before the Council?
No.
Is the Minister not prepared to bring this particular circular before the Civil Service Representative Council?
No.
asked the Minister for Finance (a) whether it is intended that the "six years' service" qualification for eligibility for promotion of writing assistants will in future apply to all writing assistants; (b) whether the Minister has given any consideration to the special case of male writing assistants, a small number of officers who are serving in a grade which is proper to women, and whether he will be prepared to consider the advisability of transferring them to another grade or to grant automatic eligibility for promotion to them to the clerical grade on completion of five years' service.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The male writing assistants to whom the Deputy refers entered the grade as a result of an open competitive examination held in April, 1926, before the passing of the Civil Service Regulation Act of that year, which conferred authority on the Civil Service Commissioners to confine examinations to persons of a particular sex. They are not entitled to better treatment in the matter of promotion than are the other candidates who succeeded in the same competition under the same conditions, and I am unable to undertake that they should be exceptionally treated in advance of the consideration of their cases individually, in the ordinary way, upon completion of the prescribed period of six years' satisfactory service.
Will the Minister not agree that the case is exceptional. A number of these male writing assistants were at first recruited through open competitive examination; the examination was then open to males and females, but, subsequently, it was open to females only. In view of that fact, would the Minister agree that it is only equitable and right that those young men who entered the service as writing assistants should now get the promotion to which they are entitled?
I do not think they are entitled to any exceptional treatment.