asked the Minister for the Environment if he will comment on the circumstances in which a person (details supplied) in County Limerick was appointed a temporary departmental inspector for the purposes of home improvement grants and the circumstances in which he subsequently lost this employment; if he is aware that there was no attempt to deceive or impropriety on the person's part in that he never attempted to conceal the fact that he was a member of Limerick County Council; the reason his Department are stating that the fact that this person was a member of Limerick County Council did not apparently become known to the Department until after his appointment and whether he used the letters "MCC" after his name on the application form and in various correspondences with his Department preceding his appointment; and if having regard to the fact that a number of servants of local authorities are eligible to be members of such authorities, he will, in the interests of fairness and equity take such steps as are necessary to reinstate this person in this post and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Post of Departmental Inspector.
The temporary inspectors taken on by my Department to deal with housing grant work were engaged on shortterm contracts with conditions which included the standard restrictions governing the involvement of civil servants in political activity. While it is accepted that the person named sought information from my predecessor at an earlier stage about possible employment, he did not use the letters "M.C.C." after his name when he made his formal application in February 1986. In accepting an offer of employment in September 1986 the person named acknowledged the abovementioned restrictions but did not advert to his membership of Limerick County Council. Subsequently the matter was discussed with him and after considering his position he submitted a written resignation. There is no question of reinstating him in the circumstances.
Membership of a local authority does not debar persons from being employed by a local authority in a servant grade.