asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state if it is the practice of local authorities or of county managers to cause agents' commission on local authority insurances to be collected by a county secretary or by an official, employee or member of a local authority; and, if so, if he will state if he has any duty or obligation in connection with any such practice.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority Insurances.
So far as I am aware it is not the general practice of local authorities to require agents' commission to be paid to a county secretary or other officer or a member of the local authority. The recent case raised by the Deputy in the debate on the Estimate for the Taoiseach's Department in which commission collected by the county secretary to the Roscommon County Council was lodged to the credit of that county council is the only case that has come to the notice of the Department. I must again inform the Deputy that the making of arrangements for insurance rests entirely with local bodies and I have no direct responsibility therefor. The arrangements when made would, of course, be subject to review by the auditor as to the reasonableness or otherwise of the expenditure involved.