asked the Minister for Finance whether male civil servants who entered the Civil Service by confined examinations during the past two years receive marriage allowances, and, if not, whether he will state for what reason they have received different treatment from that accorded those who have entered by open competition during the past two years.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - CIVIL SERVANTS AND MARRIAGE ALLOWANCES.
The scales of pay allowed to civil servants who entered by confined examinations during the past two years were those in force when it was originally decided to give those temporary officials an opportunity of entering the permanent service through the medium of examinations confined to themselves.
The scales of pay with marriage allowances are based on the assumption that the persons entering are of the normal age of recruitment and are, generally, unmarried at entry. The persons who entered for the confined examinations referred to in the question had already passed the normal age of recruitment and many were married. Moreover, they were already temporarily employed in the service on the basis of rates of pay fixed before marriage allowances were introduced, and their conversion on to the scales of pay with marriage allowances would have involved reductions of pay and consequent hardship to unmarried candidates, who would have been placed on a scale much less favourable than that actually granted.