asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state in connection with his refusal to sanction the appointment of Mr. Brendan Brick as clerk of the Castlegregory Old Age Pensions Sub-Committee: (a) on what dates respectively (1) the vacancy occurred; (2) the terms of advertisement for the filling of the post were submitted to the Department of Local Government and Public Health; (3) the advertisement was published; (4) the local sub-committee elected Mr. Brick; (5) the Minister informed the local sub-committee of his refusal to sanction the appointment; and (b) whether this notice of the Minister's refusal to sanction Mr. Brick was the first intimation received by the committee that the advertisement was alleged to be faulty; whether prior to Mr. Brick's election any specific instructions concerning qualifications had been sent to the Castlegregory sub-committee, or any general regulations issued governing the qualifications of candidates for the post of clerk to old age pensions subcommittees in districts such as Castlegregory; whether he is aware that considerable inconvenience and loss have been caused to claimants for pensions by the delay in filling this post, and finally whether in view of all the circumstances he is prepared to withdraw his veto on Mr. Brick's appointment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Castlegregory Pensions Committee Clerkship.
As regards the queries under heading (a) of the question, the replies are:
(1) 21st October, 1935.
(2) No draft of the terms of advertisement was submitted to the Department.
(3) 29th February, 1936.
(4) 13th March, 1936.
(5) 22nd May, 1936.
As regards heading (b) of the question, the reply to the first portion thereof is in the affirmative and to the second and third portions thereof in the negative.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary say whether he thinks it advisable that the sub-committee should be kept so long in ignorance of the intentions of the Minister as to the requirement concerning Irish; whether, in fact, in this case, for a job worth, I think, about £15, the same requirement was not made as is made for much higher positions in the same district, and whether he thinks it advisable that the Government should wait until an election has taken place and, therefore, canvassing has gone on against the candidate elected, before intimating what the intentions of the Minister are?
As soon as the matter came to the Minister's notice, the sub-committee were informed of the Minister's policy. As the Deputy knows, Gaeltacht orders do not apply to positions where the salary is under £40 a year. As soon as it came to the notice of the Minister, the attention of the local authority was drawn to it.
How am I to understand the Minister's objection to the reference in the advertisement to the "Gaeltacht order"? Is it merely an objection to the words? Does he object to this requirement concerning the Irish language, which is general for better-paid posts, being inserted in the advertisement, or does he think it is not demanding enough? What way had the committee of knowing that the Minister required a greater knowledge of Irish in this case than in the case of other more remunerative appointments in the district?
If the matter had been brought to the Minister's knowledge by the committee before the advertisement was issued, they would have been informed that a competent knowledge of Irish would have been an essential qualification for the appointment.
Can the Minister explain the delay between the period in which the election took place and the intimation of the Minister's intention as to the requirement as regards Irish?
I submit the delay was a reasonable delay.
The local committee do not think so.