asked the Minister for Health (a) the number of applicants for the position of health inspector last advertised, (b) the number of applicants called for interview, and (c) the lowest standard of education of any of those called for interview.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Health Inspectors.
20.
I take it that the Deputy's question relates to the course of training in health inspection being currently organised under the auspices of my Department.
There were 314 applications for admission to the course, on which there are only ten places. I entrusted the selection of candidates to the Health Inspectors Training Board set up to organise and supervise the course. They called for interview the 59 candidates who, prima facie, were the best qualified having regard to their educational attainments, as claimed in their applications. No candidate was so called unless he or she had obtained honours in Leaving Certificate in at least one subject and, in addition, had passed in a wide range of other subjects, e.g. honours in one subject and passes in a minimum of seven or more other subjects, depending on what the subjects were, the range of subjects decreasing as the number of subjects in which honours were obtained increased. The claims of the candidates finally selected for training were, of course, verified, before the selections were made.
Is the Minister satisfied that candidates with two honours and passes in all other subjects were rejected and were not called for the interview with the other 59 whom I think the Minister mentioned?
First of all, it was decided that unless a candidate had honours in at least one subject, then he was ruled out. The next thing was that a balance had to be instituted between candidates with more than one honours in subjects that were not strictly relevant to the course and in many instances where at least one honours was offered and a wide range of passes in other subjects, including mathematics and physics, these and kindred subjects were given greater weight, I understand, than, say, English and geography.
I am sorry; the Minister does not seem to have got the point of the question. I want to know the lowest standard. Was anybody called who had only one honours?
Yes.
Then I know people who had two honours and were not called.
That may be. If a person had one honours in mathematics or physics or quasi-scientific subjects that would be useful in the course, then he would be called in preference to a person who had say, two honours, in English and geography.
I do not want to enter into an argument in the matter but it looks to me as if it was an absolute political racket.
I should like the Deputy to give me the name of any politician he thinks was interested in it.
I can assure the Minister I shall.