asked the Minister for Transport and Power if, in order to improve the good relations already existing between the public and State-owned services, he will consider the establishment of consumer councils for each State-owned industry and service through which complaints and recommendations could be channelled.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Consumer Councils.
2.
The existing arrangements for dealing with complaints and recommendations about the State companies work satisfactorily and experience to date does not suggest that the establishment of consumer councils is called for.
I outlined the way in which complaints are dealt with in my speech on the Estimates for 1963-64 on 25th February, 1964—Dáil Debates, volume 207, columns 1520 and 1521.
I suppose we will follow the practice of the British Government in this. They have established such councils and find them most satisfactory. The Minister should reconsider this matter and find out what the experience has been in Britain with regard to similar types of councils.
I always review the whole question of complaints that are experienced in relation to State companies, but as the Deputy knows the State companies themselves have an organisation which deals with complaints—the area managers of CIE, for example, and the various local personnel of the ESB and other State companies. I have explained this in detail, not only on the occasion mentioned in the reply to the question, but during practically every debate on the Estimate, and I have indicated fully what we do in my Department in regard to complaints. We classify the complaints we receive. In the case of minor complaints, we send them to the State company concerned for direct reply. In other cases, we ask to see the replies and in cases which are more serious, we send a reply ourselves. We collect the complaints and analyse them and if they are repetitive complaints in regard to some particular operation of a State company at our regular meetings with the chairmen and managing directors of the State companies and boards, we discuss the repetitive complaints or complaints of a serious character. I do not think there is any need to make any further change. We are keeping this question under review.
What the Minister has said has proved the point I tried to make because it is the officials who receive the complaints who decide whether anything should be done. We have complained in the House that we cannot deal in any detailed way with the functioning of the semi-State bodies. I believe that if such councils were established with respect to the semi-State bodies, the public would have a greater respect for them, in that the consumer organisation would be representing the trade unions and all those who are interested in institutions like the ESB, Bord na Móna, etc. In the case of our semi-State concerns, the officials are both judge and jury. I do not think that is good enough.
Might I suggest to the Minister that he should publicise the desirability of prompt registration of complaints, and also that it would be desirable from the point of view of the companies themselves if citizens who had exceptional courtesies to record would trouble to inform the management as well. I have had experience in the recent past of such exceptional courtesy. I believe if they are mentioned to the management and subsequently communicated to the individual concerned, a useful purpose is served in raising the general standard of the service.
That is a very good suggestion. In the house journal of CIE, Nuacht, there is usually over a half page of commendation of the service from the public. The journal is issued to the press but so far these commendations have not received much publicity outside the house journal itself.