Vol. 191 No. 14
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs what machinery, if any, has been established by the Radio Éireann Authority to carry out the duty imposed on it by section 12 of the Broadcasting Authority Act of selecting its officers and servants by means of a public competition; and if no such machinery has yet been created, why it has not been created; and when the Radio Éireann Authority proposes to establish such machinery in accordance with the Act.
36.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether his attention has been drawn to recent announcements by Radio Éireann of appointments to key posts under the Authority; whether he is satisfied that the persons appointed to these posts were selected by means of a public competition as required by section 12 of the Broadcasting Authority Act; and if he will indicate the nature of the public competition held; if any such competition was in fact held for the advertised posts of (a) chief news editor and (b) public relations officer; and, further, if in view of the widespread dissatisfaction amongst highly-qualified candidates who are not aware of any such competition having taken place, he will investigate the circumstances of these appointments with a view to ensuring that the Radio Éireann Authority carries out its statutory duty.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 36 together.
I should like to point out in the first instance that I have no statutory function in relation to appointments by Radio Éireann other than to the appointment of the Director General. The Deputy's questions therefore should properly have been addressed to the Broadcasting Authority. However, I have no reason to believe that the Authority has not complied with the requirements of Section 12 of the Broadcasting Authority Act which provides for appointments to be made by public competition under sub-section (1) and otherwise under sub-section (2). The manner in which the Authority complies with the provision of Section 12 (1) in regard to selection by public competition is a matter for the Authority.
Does the Minister not accept that he has an obligation to this House to ensure that the Authority complies with the statutes which he piloted through this House and has he made any inquiries from the Authority as to whether they have complied with the statute which provided for public competition?
I think I have already told the Deputy that they have complied——
What the Minister said was that he did not know unless I misheard him. Would he mind reading it again?
I have no reason to believe——
That is another way of saying "I have not inquired".
Oh, not at all.
May I inform the Minister that in relation to one appointment made recently, there was no public competition at all and no Selection Board called.
The Deputy must be aware that Section 12 provides for that.
It provides for that in certain circumstances but not for the circumstances of passing over everybody who is already well qualified in the trade. Is the Minister further aware that in relation to certain of these selections, no cognisance whatever is being taken of any previous experience in Radio Éireann or elsewhere? Is the Minister further aware that in relation to the appointment of Television Sports Officer recently, sporting journalists of renown with wide experience of radio, were not called for interview although a billiard saloon keeper with no radio or television experience was called?
The Deputy can make those inquiries from Radio Eireann and not from me. If he finds he has any prima facie evidence that anything has occurred which is not in keeping with the terms of Section 12 of the Broadcasting Authority Act, 1960, he can come back to me——
I am telling the Minister now that the Section has been broken.
The Deputy is not telling me where he got his information.
And I have no intention of allowing the Minister or Fianna Fáil to penalise anyone because I exposed the truth.
Some time ago the allegation was that they would be political appointments but the Deputy cannot make that allegation now.
As the Minister has made that remark may I inform him that one out of 10 of the people called for an interview for the position of Television Sports Officer, has no sporting experience at all as a journalist, has no radio experience, has no television experience but is a brother of a Parliamentary Secretary. I did not intend mentioning that but for the fact that the Minister has said that.
I have no information on that.
He did not get the job.
It is not yet announced.
