asked the Minister for Defence whether, in order to facilitate Deputies, he will so arrange that preliminary replies from his Department at Coláiste Caoimhín to their correspondence will include the full addresses of the persons concerned.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Department of Defence Correspondence.
I am informed that all replies to Deputies which emanate from the Finance Branch of my Department at Coláiste Caoimhín contain the full names and addresses of the persons concerned.
I think the Minister is aware that I have sent him—though he may not have received it yet—a communication where these particulars were not included.
In the case of an acknowledgment only of the receipt of a communication by the Department, the address is not put on it. That is only a notification that the document forwarded has been received in the Department. When the reply goes out concerning that particular document, the full name and address is included.
Would the Minister not agree that, when a specific case is put to a Deputy for attention and if any delay should occur, the preliminary reply is the one which is of most interest to the person concerned, so that he would know who is dealing with the matter?
I agree; but the practice has obtained for the last 18 or 19 years. If the Deputy likes, I will get it changed.
That is what I was going to ask. Surely the Minister has no objection to giving the name and address, to facilitate a Deputy?
Except that when there is a great number of documents coming into an office and only one person acknowledging them the writing of the full address means a bit more work and it may cause an accumulation.
Does the Minister not agree that is about the only office which is not supplying it?
I would suggest that the Deputy do what I did myself, that he keep a record himself and then he would know the person for whom he wrote it.