asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that forty-six temporary clerks with long service, of whom twenty-seven are British ex-Service men, have been dismissed from the Department of Industry and Commerce, and that their places have been filled by temporary clerks from other Departments; whether, in view of the Minister's statement in the Dáil recently, that these dismissals were necessary to make room for permanent officers who had passed an examination, he will state the reasons for dispensing with the services of these clerks, and whether he is prepared to reinstate these officers, or to offer them employment in other Departments.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - DISMISSED TEMPORARY CLERKS.
The number of clerks who have actually been dismissed from the Department of Industry and Commerce is eleven. The places of these clerks have not been filled by temporary clerks from other Departments, and the reason for their discharge, as already stated, was to make room for ex-Army candidates who have passed a competitive examination for permanent employment. Wherever possible continuing employment is found in the service generally for temporary clerks about to be discharged from a particular Department, but no vacancies are available to which the clerks who have already been dismissed could be appointed.
Arising out of the reply, does the Minister not consider that he is more or less under a moral obligation in this matter, in view of the arrangements made at the time of the Treaty? A large number of these temporary clerks were prevented from transferring to Great Britain, because if they had gone the work would have been badly held up, due to inexperienced men coming in. Has he now nothing better to offer them than dismissal?
I have already said that we cannot keep people for whom there is no work. We cannot delay or avoid the ordinary recruitment of the service by competitive examinations, getting as far as we can the best material available. Every step is being taken to avoid unnecessary hardship in dealing with these dismissals. I have arranged that for the future a representative of the temporary clerks will sit on the Substitution Board which deals with the transfers, where possible, to other Departments of clerks who are redundant in any particular Department.
Is it not a fact that the President has recently consented to deal personally with any cases which will be put to him by a committee representative of the ex-Service men, and will the Minister be good enough to postpone the notices to these men pending investigation by that Committee, which has not yet had time to sit, but will sit very shortly? Will the Minister see his way to postpone the notices of these men in order that the President may redeem his promise?
It is impossible to withdraw any notices that have been given.
Can the Minister give any guarantee that there will be no further dismissals pending the President and the Committee having an opportunity of making the investigations which were promised?
No, sir; certainly not. If there are any cases of wrongful dismissal, the matter can be rectified if that is proved, but there will be no such cases.
Might I ask the Minister whether it is intended to hold any more examinations to fill the places of men who are already temporarily employed?
It is intended to recruit a certain number of clerks year by year from the schools. It is also intended to hold a limited competitive examination for temporary clerks already in the service to give a further opportunity to them and to allow the best of them to be established.