asked the Minister forAgriculture if he is aware (1) that the regulation preventing agricultural graduates from obtaining posts as agricultural instructors in their native counties imposes great hardship on the graduates; (2) that in seeking a temporary appointment, which is the passport to a permanent one in another county, the graduate must canvass the members of the county committee of agriculture and that if he has not good contacts in that county he has no chance of being appointed, and (3) that this regulation does not exist in the case of any other public appointment and serves no useful purpose; and, if so, if he will consider amending it.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Agricultural Instructors.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative.
As regards the second part, it is not prescribed by the Local Appointments Commissioners as a qualification for appointment to permanent posts of instructor in agriculture under county committees of agriculture that the candidates must previously have served as such instructors in a temporary capacity. Canvassing for temporary appointment is, of course, to be strongly deprecated, but the temptation to resort to it would be increased if the rule in question were abolished.
With regard to the third part of the question, I may say that, irrespective of what may be the conditions governing appointments under other local bodies, I can see no good reason at present for the removal of the regulation in question, which in my opinion, continues to serve a useful purpose.