asked the Minister for Finance the number of extra engineers and architects needed in the Office of Public Works; and if there are recruiting difficulties.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - OPW Staff.
31.
Mr. Kenny
At present the Office of Public Works has vacancies on its authorised staff for 19 civil engineers, one electrical and heating engineer and four architects. Recruitment efforts have met with varying degrees of success, but in general it has not been possible to maintain the staff at full strength for many years.
What form has this attempted recruitment taken? Is it by public advertising or any other methods?
Mr. Kenny
Competitions to fill the vacancies are held regularly by the Civil Service Commission. The recent results have been most disappointing as regards architects. Three competitions run over the past seven months have attracted only one potential new entrant. Another competition will be announced shortly.
(Dublin Central): Would the Parliamentary Secretary agree that the salaries offered are not attractive enough to recruit top-class engineers and architects?
Mr. Kenny
That is one of the reasons why architects will not come into the service.
Maybe the system of recruitment is wrong also.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary re-examine a scheme which I hoped to introduce but never got it off the ground whereby you can get leaving certificate students who become first or second year architectural students, employ them on a part-time basis and pay their fees but compel them to give so many years to the Office of Public Works after they qualify?
Mr. Kenny
We can consider that favourably.
The Parliamentary Secretary, in reply to supplementaries on Question No. 29, referred us to the answer he was about to give on Question No. 31. Question No. 29 dealt with coast erosion, in the course of which he said there were two schemes now in operation, one at Rossnowlagh and one at Youghal. Is he aware that these were planned some years before and were in operation some months before the present Government took office? Has any other major scheme of coastal erosion been planned or is one likely to be put in operation in the near future?
The Fianna Fáil Government put two schemes in operation between 1961 and 1973.
Let us have one Parliamentary Secretary at a time.
Mr. Kenny
In all 54 proposals were received by the Commissioners of Public Works under the Act. To date three coast protection schemes have been completed: Murrow, County Wicklow; Moville, County Donegal; and Strandhill, County Sligo. Other proposals are at various stages of development and one I can remember —at Enniscrone, County Sligo—is due to be started very soon.