asked the Minister for Finance why men over fifty years of age are not nominated by the Department of Social Welfare for employment with the Department of Posts and Telegraphs.
14.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Nominations for Employment with Post Office.
13.
asked the Minister for Finance why the manager of Macroom employment exchange, County Cork, did not submit the names of men over fifty years of age for employment by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in the Macroom area recently.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 14 together.
On the grounds of efficiency, it is desirable that there should be some normal upper age-limit for recruitment by Government Departments through employment exchanges. This applies even to casual employment as such employment may lead to regular and continuous employment.
The age of 50 has been prescribed as the normal upper limit because only a person under 50 on initial recruitment could, by the time he reached the statutory retiring age of 65, have the minimum of 15 years' continuous unestablished service necessary under existing legislation to qualify for a gratuity on retirement. Legislation is in contemplation which will reduce this qualifying period of 15 years and in connection with such legislation I propose to modify the 50 year age limit.
Surely ad interim it is a preposterous situation that a man of 50 years is not eligible for a post as a temporary auxiliary postman during the Christmas rush. To say that the entire Cabinet on the Government front bench do not provide a single citizen capable of being an auxiliary temporary postman seems to me fantastic. Surely the Minister can take some ad interim decision without waiting for a change in the superannuation regulation?
Would the Minister not agree that if the reasons he put forward are valid for the Government as an employer, they are equally valid for a private employer; hence a man over 50 years has no opportunity of employment and must live out his life here on the dole?
Could the Minister give any undertaking as to when the amending legislation will be ready?
I hope to have the alteration made as soon as possible but I want to wait to see the legislation which, I expect, will be available in a very short time.
Could the Minister not, ad interim, waive this for the jobs he and I know well of, which are those of temporary auxiliary postmen during the Christmas rush?
I do not think it relates to postmen.
Any temporary auxiliary worker. It would be no great strain to waive it, pending the legislation.
I should like to remind the Deputy who asked the Question that this has been in operation for 20 years.
Is the Minister going to follow all our precedents?
Even so, is that any good reason?
No; I do not say that.
When it is to be changed in any case.
You are now in the position. Why do you not do something about it instead of blaming us?
Question No. 15 postponed.