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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 20 Nov 1952

Vol. 134 No. 14

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Report from Civil Servants.

asked the Minister for Finance if he will state, with reference to the reply to a question on 5th November, 1952, whether he has yet received a report from the other two civil servants concerned; and, if so, whether he considers their explanations satisfactory.

The head of the Department concerned has furnished me with a report from one of the officers. I regard the explanation offered in that report as satisfactory, the grant of permission to use the officer's name having been given in a genuine misunderstanding on the officer's part of the user in contemplation.

The other officer is at present out of the country and correspondence is, I understand, at present proceeding between him and the head of his Department.

Will the Minister, in view of his particular attitude to this matter, see that when the correspondence in all cases is completed copies thereof will be made available to Deputies so that they may understand the implications of the Minister's action in this matter?

That would be completely contrary to precedent.

Is it not entirely contrary to precedent that a civil servant would be challenged for an action in respect of which there was no departmental instruction of any kind that would debar him from that action?

There was a fully comprehensive general regulation covering the whole conduct of civil servants in this matter.

Is the Minister not aware that the circular that he referred to and that he read out here, particularly emphasising certain parts of it, was a circular that on the face of it had absolutely no reference to the Seanad or to a Seanad election?

The Deputy is under a complete misapprehension in that regard. However, Sir, I may suggest that, if the Deputy wants this matter to be pursued further, he can raise it on the token vote for my Department.

I submit to the Minister that there will be more effective ways in which the matter can be raised and I would propose to use them, but I would like to give the Minister an opportunity of closing the discussion and the correspondence between himself and the Department and the officers concerned before having the matter investigated.

I have no intention of doing so. Junior officers of the Civil Service have already been penalised for breaking these regulations and I do not intend to permit a senior officer to get away with it.

I would refer the Minister to the fact that the interpretation he is putting on these regulations is utterly at variance with the wording of the circulars.

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