asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state the names of the persons appointed as doorkeepers or patrol officers in the G.P.O. and Exchequer Street Telephone Exchanges since the 20th October, 1944, and the period of previous service of each person so appointed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Exchange Employees.
Since 20-10-1944 four doorkeepers have been appointed at Dublin, including the G.P.O. and Exchequer Street Telephone Exchanges. Their names are:— Henry McElhinney, Laurence McSherry, Joseph Dooner and Francis Moran.
Mr. McElhinney had been previously employed as a temporary postman and temporary doorkeeper intermittently since 1936 and continuously since 1941.
Mr. McSherry was employed as a labourer in the Engineering Branch for varying periods in 1937 and in 1938 as a casual worker.
Mr. Dooner had no previous Post Office service.
Mr. Moran had been employed since 1936 as a labourer and unestablished skilled workman.
Does the Minister consider it equitable that persons should be appointed to these posts who have had no previous experience whatever in the Post Office, and that at least one person so employed has passed over men with 19 years' service, five of these years being spent in continuous patrol and doorkeeper duty? Will the Minister say on what grounds he can possibly justify passing over a man with 19 years' service in preference to a man who has had no service?
Because one was in a Fianna Fáil club and the other was not.
So it would appear.
Selection is made on considerations of suitability for the positions regardless as to whether candidates were previously in the service or not. In accordance with the present procedure, the claims and qualifications of all eligible temporary officers already in the service were fully considered, in conjunction with those of the nominations of the employment exchange, and the most suitable man was chosen.
Is the Minister aware of the fact that when officers were previously selected for these duties it was made clear to them that they ought to have previous experience and be specially trained in these duties before they were considered suitable for assignment? In the present case the Minister admits that two persons who had no experience whatever of the duties, and one of whom he admits was never previously employed, have been selected for assignment to duties over the heads of people with 19 years' previous service. How can he justify the selection of non-trained persons for these assignments in preference to a person who had a total of 19 years' service?
I would point out to the Deputy that on the 12th March, 1942, he was informed in a letter that "while the Minister will continue to give consideration to the claims and qualifications of temporary postmen for these doorkeeper positions, he regrets that he is unable to agree that the field of selection should be limited to such officers to the exclusion of candidates nominated by the exchange authorities."
The Minister knows, I suppose, that there are still vacancies in this class. Will he say why he cannot assign to these vacancies persons with 20 and 19 years' service who have given five years' satisfactory performance on these duties when he has already been able to assign people to the duties who have had no experience whatever of them? These men have been performing their duties for five years in a manner with which the Post Office Department is apparently satisfied. In the case of two recent appointments, the Minister has appointed people who had never performed duty of that kind. Why cannot a man with 19 years' service get the remaining appointment? Will the Minister not tell us that?
Question 43.
Read the Life of de Valera.
Will the Minister say that he will consider the other man with 19 years' service for the appointment?
We consider every case on its merits.
Has 19 years' service no merit now? It used to have, but has it none now?
Membership of the Deputy's Union will not be a bar.
The Minister's title of Posts and Telegraphs ought to be changed now to that of Minister for Posts.