asked the Minister for Finance the level of staffing in the sales outlet of the Stationery Office during the month of January, 1980, when it was necessary on a number of occasions to turn individual customers away by reason of the inadequate sales staff.
Written Answers. - Stationery Office.
486.
The staff complement of the Government Publications Sales Office, GPO Arcade, comprises the manager, four sales assistants and one junior porter. Apart from the loss of three mandays due to sick and annual leave and so on, the full complement of staff was on duty in January 1980.
Some orders and inquiries at the sales office are in the shape of lists of items. Particularly during the period from 12.30 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. when the sales office operates a staggered lunch-break, customers who call with such lists may be asked to leave the order for collection, or to have them dealt with by the postal trade section of the sales office. My information is that no customer was in January, or is ever, turned away without attention to their order.
487.
asked the Minister for Finance the statutory or constitutional obligation of the Stationery Office, or its sales outlet, in respect of the supply of ordinary statutes of the Oireachtas to members of the public, if he will clarify the position and make a statement on the matter.
The legal advice I have received is that there is no statutory or constitutional obligation on the Stationery Office to make copies of statutes of the Oireachtas available to members of the public.
However, copies of every Bill as passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas and signed by the President are held for sale to members of the public by the Stationery Office until the Act itself is printed. Every Act, once printed, is kept in print in perpetuity.