asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to a circular issued by the Department of Local Government and Public Health in which it is stated that work in connection with old age pensions' appeals has been impeded by the personal intervention of Members of the Oireachtas; and whether he will cause inquiries to be conducted as to the practice obtaining in other Departments in such matters.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Old Age Pension Appeals.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, the treatment of representations by members of the Oireachtas is not governed by any general regulation, and the procedure followed in each Department is a matter for the discretion of the responsible Minister. In view of the great variety of circumstances, it would not be desirable to interfere with this arrangement, and it is not, therefore, proposed to make the inquiries suggested by the Deputy.
Is the Minister aware that in the circular issued by the Department of Local Government and Public Health it was stated that this custom of interfering with judicial officers of a Government Department was introduced in April, 1932, that is, immediately after the present Government took office? In view of the fact that this undesirable interference with one particular Government Department began immediately after the Government took office, is there not prima facie evidence that, during the past 12 years, there may have been undesirable interference with judicial officers of other Government Departments?
I do not think that the suggestions the Deputy has made are worthy of serious consideration. I have not in mind the exact terms of the Parliamentary Secretary's circular letter to members, though I got a copy in the same way as every other Deputy, so I cannot say when exactly the present system started. However, Deputies who have been a long time in this House remember that there was a similar procedure in operation long before 1932 or 1933, and that the Minister for Local Government and Public Health issued an Order—in 1930 or 1931; I am not sure of the date—prohibiting Deputies from interviewing the deciding officers in that Department. That prohibition Order was reviewed when this Government came into office and the present procedure was adopted. It was not an entirely new procedure, as something similar was in operation long before this Government took office.
Regarding the other suggestion, that there has been improper or undue interference with Department officials, I do not think that is true in any Department. At any rate, if it is true, I am unaware of it and no representations have been made to me regarding it by any Deputy or anybody else.
Has the Minister's attention been drawn to the fact that in this particular circular it is mentioned that the interests of those applicants for old age pensions on whose behalf no representations were made were seriously prejudiced by the representations which were being made? Would the Minister not consider that an undesirable state of affairs, and if he thinks there is any danger of such a condition prevailing in other Departments, would be consider appointing a select committee of this House to investigate the matter?
That is quite a different question.
That is quite a different matter, as the Ceann Comhairle says. The prejudice that is suffered by those claimants for old age pensions about whom no Deputy interferes is due to the fact that, owing to the pressure of Deputies, other people's cases are taken out of their turn. Many claimants are prejudiced because their claims are not dealt with until months after they would have been dealt with if they had been taken in the proper order.