Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 29 Nov 1973

Vol. 269 No. 6

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Departmental Staff.

16.

Mr. O'Kennedy

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the numbers employed in his Department in various grades (details supplied) on 1st January in each of the years 1951, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973 and on 1st November 1973.

Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (Dr. Cruise-O'Brien)

As the information required by the Deputy is in the form of a tabular statement, it is proposed, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to have it circulated with the Official Report.

I do not know what the Deputy requires this information for, but it may be of some interest to him, the House, and the public to know that it took my Department approximately 13 man-days, at an estimated cost of £150, to compile the tabular statement prepared for the Deputy. I hope the information is worth it.

Following is the statement:

	1st January	1st November 1973
	1951	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973
Secretariat
Secretary	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Secretary	2	3	3	3	3	3	3
Principal Officer	5	7	7	7	7	8	8
Assistant Principal Officer	7	15	18	17	20	22	23
Accountant	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Deputy Accountant	1	1	2	2	2	2	2
Assistant Accountant	4	5	6	5	5	5	6
Administrative Officers	2	2	3	3	5	5	6
Cost Accountant	—	—	—	1	1	1	1
Economist	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Data Processing Manager	—	—	—	1	1	1	1
Chief Inspector of Services	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Deputy Chief Inspector of Services	—	—	—	1	1	1	1
Inspector of Services Class 1 and 2	8	15	14	15	15	17	21
Chief Investigation Officer	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Deputy Chief Investigation Officer	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Senior Investigation Officer	—	1	1	1	1	1	1
Investigation Officers	4	3	3	3	3	3	4
Chief Traffic Superintendent	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Senior Traffic Superintendent	—	1	1	1	1	1	1
Telephone Traffic Superintendent Class I	2	6	6	6	6	9	9
Telephone Traffic Superintendent Class II	7	18	19	19	19	25	25
Telephone Assistant Supervisor (Female travelling)
Class I	1	1	1	1	7	10	10
Telephone Assistant Supervisor (Female travelling) Class II	5	5	5	5	6	13	10
Chief Contract Manager	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Contract Managers 1 and 2	4	12	13	15	15	15	17
Higher Executive Officer	24	39	36	44	46	51	61
Executive Officer	32	49	53	60	65	75	84
Staff Officer	58	56	55	62	59	62	74
Telephone Officer	36	98	118	132	146	153	194
Clerical Officer	283	253	268	316	335	324	376
Clerical Assistant	268	463	533	545	577	651	617
Key Punch Operators	—	53	55	64	76	81	61
Paperkeepers	2	4	4	4	4	4	3
Head Messenger	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Adult Messenger	6	5	5	5	5	5	6
Junior Postmen	25	25	24	24	24	24	31

	1st January	1st November 1973
	1951	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973
Engineering Branch
Engineer-in-Chief	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Deputy Engineer-in-Chief	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Engineer-in-Chief	1	4	4	4	4	4	5
Staff Engineers	5	12	12	14	14	16	20
Assistant Staff Engineers	6	36	38	42	42	45	53
Executive and Assistant Engineers	42	102	106	103	113	114	151
Radio Superintendents	—	2	2	2	2	3	3
Engineering Superintendent	—	16	29	29	29	29	29
Inspectors	84	157	165	174	209	208	243
Chief Draughtsman	1	1	1	1	2	2	2
Senior Engineer Draughtsman	1	5	5	5	6	7	9
Engineering Draughtsman	8	35	35	35	48	45	48
Technician Class I		723	763	795	905	887	996
Technician Class II		988	1,047	1,118	1,266	1,287	1,386
Installer	1,795	1,129	1,185	1,205	1,238	1,255	1,281
Technician Trainee		344	352	411	417	446	441
Trainee Installer	(Different grading in 1951)	111	180	191	124	210	219
Trademen	17	31	28	28	28	31
Watchmen	6	5	5	5	5	8
Labourers		402	479	386	434	554	548

	1st January	1st November 1973
	1951	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973
Dublin Postal District
Controller	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Controller	1	3	3	3	2	2	2
Superintendent	5	7	9	10	10	10	10
Assistant Superintendent	15	19	23	24	25	24	25
Overseers	Not available	56	58	58	61	62	67
Assistant Supervisors Class II	,,	5	5	5	5	5	5
Post Office Clerk Grade A	,,	376	376	351	376	374	386
Post Office Clerk Grade B
Clerical Assistant	—	5	5	6	6	6	6
Chief Inspector	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Inspectors	5	6	7	8	8	8	8
Assistant Inspectors	39	44	51	51	58	56	58
Postal Sorters		379	379	379	404	404	424
Postmen	1,352	1,142	1,205	1,243	1,383	1,390	1,390
Patrolmen		32	32	32	32	39	40
Junior Postmen		5	5	5	5	4	4
Cleaners		96	118	113	113	113	113
Number of Sub-Post Offices	163	171	172	172	173	173	173

	1st January	1st November 1973
	1951	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973
Central Telegraph Office
Controller	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Controller	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Superintendent	6	2	2	2	2	2	2
Overseers	22	16	17	16	17	17	17
Post Office Clerk Grade A	76	23	23	23	23	23	24
Post Office Clerk Grade B	150	66	66	73	73	73	73
Assistant Supervisor Class I	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Supervisor Class II	10	2	2	2	2	2	2
Telephonists	33	26	29	30	30	27	27
Junior Postman	106	73	51	49	49	70	65

	1st January	1st November 1973
	1951	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973
Stores Branch
Controller of Stores	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Deputy Controller of Stores	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Controller of Stores	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Higher Executive Officer	5	7	8	8	8	9	11
Executive Officer	6	10	10	13	13	15	17
Staff Officer	9	8	10	10	10	10	12
Clerical Officer	51	53	47	54	63	56	64
Clerical Assistant	42	57	62	64	66	67	65
Factory Overseer	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Foremen Class 1 and 2	5	7	7	7	8	9	10
Storekeeper	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Storekeeper	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Chief Inspector	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Inspector of Textiles	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Inspector of Mechanical Transport	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Inspector of Mechanical Transport		4	4	4	5	5	5
Inspector of timber	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Inspector of uniforms	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Inspector of Miscellaneous Stores	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Superintendent Warehouse-man	5	5	5	5	5	5	6
Mechanics	7	36	36	36	38	38	38
Textiles Examiner	—	1	1	1	1	1	1
Warehouseman	19	23	23	23	23	23	26
Storeman	28	40	39	39	40	40	42
Packer and Porter	60	69	69	69	69	69	69
Warehousewoman	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Female Stores Assistant	8	8	8	8	8	8	8
Laboratory Assistant	—	—	1	1	1	1	1
Adult Messenger	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Junior Postmen	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Labour force	252	252	227	232	232	236	239

	1st January	1st November 1973
	1951	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973
Provincial Offices
Postmasters		51	51	51	51	51	51
Postmasters Class VI		35	35	35	35	35	35
Chief Superintendent		1	1	1	1	1	1
Superintendents		5	5	5	5	5	15
Overseers		91	95	96	91	91	92
Night Telephone Supervisors		4	4	4	21	21	24
Post Office Clerk Grade A		629	629	629	648	648	664
Post Office Clerk Grade B		448	448	392	399	399	385
Nights Telephonists		50	50	57	74	74	165
Part-Time Night Telephonists		96	96	185	310	310	432
Inspector of Postmen		2	2	3	3	3	3
Assistant Inspector of Postmen		11	11	11	11	11	17
Postal Sorters		115	117	126	131	131	141
Postmen		1,564	1,584	1,652	1,693	1,693	1,839
Auxiliary Postmen		2,468	2,374	2,307	2,194	2,194	1,867
Allowance deliverers		26	22	20	18	18	15
Patrolmen		6	6	6	6	6	6
Junior Postmen		108	106	105	105	105	105
Clerical Assistants		4	4	4	4	4	4
Supervisor Class I							2
Assistant Supervisor
(Female)		69	80	96	106	106	145
Telephonists		1,181	1,227	1,184	1,274	1,274	1,543
Male Cleaners (part-time)		43	43	42	40	40	42
Female Cleaners		11	11	13	15	15	15
Female Cleaners (part-time)		44	44	42	40	40	40
Miscellaneous Temporary Force		931	809	795	676	676	786
Sub Post Offices	1,961	1,940	1,938	1,938	1,938	1,938	1,939

*A break-down of staff employed in the detail required is not readily available in respect of 1st January, 1951. The following are the bulk figures available.

Postmasters	88
Superintendents, Overseers, Post Office Clerks	1,347
Telephone Supervisors etc., (Male and Female)	493
Inspectors, Postal Sorters, Postmen, Cleaners etc.	5,172

Mr. Colley

I should like to ask the Minister if he has any estimate available in relation to his Department only of the cost of replying to questions by Deputy John O'Connell in the past five years?

An Ceann Comhairle

That is a separate question.

Mr. O'Kennedy

Would the Minister accept that the question was put down by me arising out of inquiries from a responsible interest and, if such, does the Minister not accept that I was entitled to do so?

Dr. Cruise-O'Brien

I expressed the hope that the information may be worth it and I was drawing attention to the fact that it does consume time and it does cost money, the taxpayers' money, to give this kind of reply and I hope the information was worth it.

Mr. Molloy

The Minister is trying to stifle the Opposition but he will not get away with it.

An Ceann Comhairle

Question No. 17.

Deputy Tunney rose.

An Ceann Comhairle

I have passed on to the next question.

(Interruptions.)

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy may not banter with the Chair. I have called Question No. 17.

Mr. Tunney

Am I not entitled to ask a supplementary arising out of the Minister's reply?

An Ceann Comhairle

Not in relation to the last question because the Chair has passed on to the next question.

Mr. Tunney

Can I not get information as to why I, a public representative, am to be precluded from asking a supplementary?

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy may not raise the matter now.

Mr. Tunney

The clarification I seek is vital to this House. Am I to take the Minister's reply as an indication that we will not receive answers to our questions because of the cost involved in preparing them?

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy should resume his seat.

Mr. Molloy

The Minister is creating a precedent which is typical of the action of Dr. Goebbels.