asked the Minister for Finance if he will state (1) the number of paymasters for special employment schemes who have been appointed during the past three years; (2) the rate of salary or emoluments payable to them; (3) if vacancies for the positions are advertised, and (4) by whom the appointments are made.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Appointment of Paymasters.
Since the Special Employment Schemes Office took over the supervision of minor employment and similar schemes from county engineers in certain counties, paymasters have been employed to pay the wages of the workmen engaged on these schemes. So far, ten in all have been appointed—comprising six in County Galway, three in County Roscommon and one in Clare.
Remuneration is on a fee basis at the rate of 1½ per cent. of the payments made.
Vacancies are not advertised.
The appointments are made by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary give any reason why these appointments are not advertised? Further, can he state what purpose these officers perform which could not be performed by the post office authorities, through post office staff sending out cheques to workers, as is done in the case of county councils who send out cheques to their workers each week?
For the Deputy's information, we are doing just what other Departments, such as the Land Commission did. In the various counties, they appointed paymasters. We are taking, over the counties. We have already taken over Galway, Roscommon and Clare and we find it more efficient to do as other Departments are doing, that is, to give an opportunity to people down the country to do this work instead of increasing the staff at head office. That is in reply to the second part of the Deputy's supplementary question. As to the first part of his supplementary question, as to why these vacancies are not advertised, 63 appointments have been made by the outgoing Government of paymasters in different Departments, such as the Land Commission and the Board of Works, and none of these was ever advertised.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary not think it is time to establish the principle that all offices under the public service and which are paid out of public funds should be publicly advertised so as to give every citizen an equal right to apply? Does the Parliamentary Secretary see any reason why these services could not be performed through the post office, just the same as county councils pay their workers each week?
The Deputy recently objected to that principle being put into operation.
I never did.
You did.
In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I wish to give notice of my intention to raise this matter on the Adjournment.