asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will provide for the release with full pay and without any loss of service or pension rights of any State employee selected for a major representative sporting event abroad.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Public Service Special Leave.
29.
Because of the number and variety of applications for special leave from various sectors of the public service, my predecessors and I have consistently maintained that, outside very special and limited cases such as serious domestic distress or jury service, special leave with pay can only be allowed where the purpose of the leave is directly related to the officer's official duties. I do not consider that I could justify departing from this practice and, therefore, imposing charges on the Exchequer in the type of case referred to by the Deputy.
State employees have various possibilities open to them to enable them to take part in these activities without burdening the taxpayer. They can use part of their annual leave, they can be given special leave with pay on a recoupment basis or they can elect to receive special leave without pay. In either of these two latter situations, local or functional community efforts would be a far more suitable source than public funds from which to enable the activity to be subsidised.
Does the Minister know what the cost to the Exchequer would be to finance the matters referred to in the question?
No.
Would the Minister accept that it would be only a matter of some thousands of pounds?
It would be unwise to assume. Were there to be any departure from the well-established practice in this area there would probably be an unlimited number of applications for a lot of worthy purposes. If sports, for instance, were to qualify for leave of absence with pay, then why not many meritorious activities such as participating in pilgimages, works of charity and so on? The system has worked fairly to date and I am sure the Deputy and others have contributed privately towards the loss of pay sustained by people participating in charitable work or sports.
Since the Government have belatedly recognised the importance of sport and recreation, the least they might do would be to honour that recognition by affording the opportunities to which I refer. The Minister's reference to pilgrimages and works of charity is not relevant. I am talking about international sport, such as the Carrolls All-Star Team.
There have been innumerable applications from public servants who have sought to participate in the kinds of activities which I set out on the basis of getting leave of absence with pay. I do not think that the taxpayers should be asked to contribute towards the pay of people who are absent from their work, no matter how worthy the motive or desirable the activity, particularly when there are other ways in which the community can give such support.
Would the Minister not differientiate between pilgrimages and the contribution made to the State by somebody taking part in an athletics meeting on behalf of the State? Having regard to the recognition and support which other countries give to sport and recreation, the least we might do is to fund the exercises referred to in the question.
This is becoming a debate.