asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state the present position as regards the conditions of employment of temporary clerks in the employment branch of his Department, indicating (1) the position of those who have given two years' satisfactory service but who fail in the examination for established positions, (2) whether it is proposed that employees in county exchanges who qualify in the examination will be transferred from their present offices, and, if so, if he will arrange to have them retained in these offices as a change would be detrimental to them, and (3) the position as regards continuous employment of employees in county exchanges who do not sit for the examination.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Employment Exchange Clerks.
The conditions of employment of the temporary clerks referred to at (1) and (3) of the question will not be altered by the forthcoming examination for posts as clerical officers. Such temporary clerks will continue to be subject to the conditions of employment under which they were recruited and their continued employment will depend as heretofore on the amount of work to be performed in the employment exchanges in which they serve.
As regards (2) of the question, temporary clerks appointed to posts as clerical officers as a result of the examination will be subject to the conditions of service of the examination which provide, inter alia, that, in common with all the permanent staff of the employment branch, they may be required to serve in any part of the State and will be liable to be transferred from time to time. As this condition is essential for the efficient and economical administration of the Department it must be enforced where necessary, but it may be accepted that every effort will continue to be made to keep staff transfers to a minimum.