The Minister mentioned that in passing, but it was in support of a contention that he, as the responsible head of the Department which was running the broadcasting service, must have the power of choice. It was in support of that contention that he used the phrase that he knew nothing about these people, and had never heard about them before.
Let us consider the position we are placing ourselves in. The Minister says that in this particular service he must not be directed, in respect to appointments, by the Civil Service Commissioners. He is in the same position in respect to appointments in his Department as the Minister for Lands and Agriculture, the Minister for Fisheries, and the Minister for Local Government and Public Health. If the Committee allows this to pass without protest, what is to prevent the Minister for Local Government, the Minister for Fisheries, and the Minister for Lands and Agriculture refusing to accept appointments made by the selection board of the Civil Service Commissioners unless the persons concerned meet with the approval of these Ministers? That is the issue that is raised by the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs. One might say that the Minister for Fisheries, the Minister for Lands and Agriculture, and the Minister for Local Government are to be free, according to the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, to veto the decision of the Civil Service Commissioners in regard to appointments in their Departments. That is a preposterous position to place us in.
The Minister makes the case—it is quite obvious what his mind is on the matter—that this service of wireless broadcasting ought not to be in the same category as the rest of the Civil Service; that it is something extern from the general State services; something that we are prepared to hand over to him as an individual to run and to make a success of. Now, that might be the perfect method of running the broadcasting service, but it was not the method decided upon by the Dáil. The Minister recommended and the Dáil accepted the recommendation of the original Commission; he personally brought before the Dáil the general scheme that the broadcasting service should be run by the Post Office. When he did that he knew well that it was to be part of the general system of State service. He should not have accepted responsibility for running this service unless he was prepared to treat it differently from that of a personal concern, of which he was director, and was personally responsible for the success of, with power to make appointments, to refuse appointments, to remove officers, and so on, just as he considered desirable, in order to have a perfect system. As I say, that may be the best method in his view of running this service, but it is not the method approved by the Dáil. It is not the method that the Minister accepted responsibility for.
Let the Committee remember what is at issue. It is that in some service, under extern Ministers the powers of the Civil Service Commission may be vetoed by the Ministers. They may issue advertisements for certain appointments, telling the public that the selection board will make the appointments, and then say the appointments will not be made; that the selection board's choice has not satisfied the Ministers' requirements. To show how important it is that future applicants shall have reason to be confident in the integrity of the promises made in the public advertisement, applicants receive a notice in these terms:—
"It has been brought to the notice of the Civil Service Commissioners that attempts have been made to use influence in favour of candidates for examination, or for interview by the selection board set up by the Commission, the Commission desire to give public notice that any attempt to influence any Commissioner, or any member of the selection board set up by the Commission, in favour of any candidate for public appointment, will automatically disqualify the candidate for the position he is seeking,"
and that is signed by the Chairman of the Commission. The effect of that is calculated and intended to let applicants feel that they are all on a level with regard to appointments, that influence is not going to be used by one who has greater access than another to the ears of the selection board, and that all are on a level, and will be chosen according to their merits, and according to the terms of the advertisement issued, the selection board of the Civil Service Commissioners being the deciders in the matter.
The Minister asks us to accept an entirely different view, and states that he is not going to run this business except on terms that he has outlined here to-day. I think the Committee, however it may regard the Minister, must not accept that position from him, and I put this motion down, feeling it was necessary to have the matter explained. I now intend to press it, with a view to asking the Committee to declare itself that the position taken up by the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs is one which we cannot support and cannot put our signature to.