asked the Minister for Justice the qualifications as to age, health and character necessary for appointment to the office of coroner.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Appointment of Coroners.
36.
The qualifications are set out in a statement, which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, will be circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
Age: Each candidate must be not less than 30 years of age on the first day of the month in which the latest date for receiving completed application forms for the office for which he is a candidate occurs. A candidate for the post of coroner for the district of the County Borough of Dublin, however, must be not less than 35 years of age and not more than 50 years of age on that date.
Health: Each candidate must be free from any defect or disease that would render him unsuitable to hold the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.
Character: Each candidate must be of good character.
Would the Minister not agree that the first qualification is that you must be a member of the Fianna Fáil Party? Is that not quite true? Nobody else gets the position or has got one of them since Fianna Fáil first came to power.
According to the information available to me no such condition is laid down.
It may not be available to the Minister on paper but does he not know that that is the principal qualification and that since Fianna Fáil came to power nobody except an active member of the Fianna Fáil Party has got one of those positions?
That is a lot of rubbish.
It is not and indeed they are to be seen at by-elections. I saw some of them in Donegal in the snow. They told me they had to be there to report back to Jack that they were out at such-and-such a polling booth at Lough Derg and they were shivering in the snow. I met one of them there. He expects to be appointed shortly and he is from the west of Ireland.
(Interruptions.)
I wonder would Deputy L'Estrange oblige the House some day by coming in and giving us a list of the Fianna Fáil people who were appointed to any office whatever during the period of office of the party of which he is a member. Any one?
Question No. 37.
The Minister knows very well about the low standards of Fianna Fáil. He has spoken about them in public. He may be one man who does not agree with them.
Does that statement by the Minister justify his party's stand?
I am talking about the record of the Fine Gael Party. I have dealt with Deputy L'Estrange's question and I am talking about the record of the Fine Gael Party. If Deputy Collins wishes to disown the record of his party, more power to him.
The Minister knows that they set up the Local Appointments Commission at the formation of this State to see that every Irish boy and girl got a fair chance.
I was not elected to judge my party's record. I was elected to do what is right at this point in time and if the Minister's present stand is based on an historical one he is quite wrong.
Question No. 37.
(Interruptions.)
If the Minister makes appointments on that basis he is in utter breach of his office under the Constitution. Do not ever forget that.
(Interruptions.)
Order. Deputy Collins should behave himself.
What about me?
The Ceann Comhairle should behave himself now and again.