asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if a circular has been issued to all Post Office Managers by the Chief Employment Officer, containing instructions to the effect that in the recruitment of temporary labour required by the Post office during the forthcoming Christmas season only applications from ex-National Army men, with dependents, should be submitted for employment, but that the posters asking persons to apply for such work were to contain no reference to preferential treatment to any particular class of applicants.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - TEMPORARY POST OFFICE EMPLOYMENT.
A circular has been issued to all Employment Exchange managers dealing with the recruitment of temporary labour required by the Post Office during the Christmas season. The circular states that the order of preference to be accorded to categories other than ex-National Army men with dependents will be decided later. The bulk of the workers required are not usually engaged until the middle of December, and the decision as to preference will be taken before then. In the event of a small number of workers being required before the date on which the bulk of them are engaged the circular directs that only ex-National Army men with dependents are to be submitted for employment. This is conveyed in simple language in the circular.
I caused the usual reference in the posters to preferential treatment for ex-National Army men to be omitted for the reason that I will consider the claims of civilian workers with dependents before coming to a decision governing the engagement of the bulk of the workers in December.
Are we to take it then that the statement in the circular that only application from ex-National Army men with dependents are to be submitted for employment has been revised and that applications will be received from all classes of workers with dependents?
No, but you may take it that such instructions were never issued. In your assumption you are incorrect, and your question is quite wrong.
The wording of the circular is that meanwhile only applications from category (a), that is ex-National Army men, should be actually submitted for employment.
"Meanwhile" would refer to the workers engaged as distint from temporary workers for the forthcoming Christmas season.
When is this patronage to cease?
Would some Deputy translate what Deputy Corry is saying?
The Deputy is asking when is this patronage to cease.
Thanks for the translation.
Give us the answer, please.
It does not require an answer.