asked the Minister for Finance whether his attention has been directed to a report of a political meeting at Ballina in the local Press of 2nd December stating that a list of suitable men to act as gangers was compiled and submitted to the Office of Public Works; whether he will make a statement on the matter and indicate the qualification now required of candidates for appointments as gangers under the Office of Public Works and further state whether vacancies for all such positions will be advertised and applications invited.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Appointment of Gangers.
Since the question was put down, I have seen a copy of the report referred to by the Deputy. A list of names of men recommended for the post of ganger on minor employment schemes was forwarded to my office by one of the gentlemen recorded in the report as having attended the political meeting at Ballina. The Special Employment Schemes Office receive many recommendations of this kind and, in accordance with the usual practice in such cases, the names referred to were transmitted to the inspector in charge of the area for consideration on their merits in competition with any other applicants for vacancies for posts as gangers. The responsibility is placed on the inspectors to appoint the most competent and suitable persons available.
The principal qualification required for gangers employed by the Special Employment Schemes Office is satisfactory previous service and experience in the supervision of workmen and in the various operations involved in the classes of work usually carried out as minor schemes for that office.
It would not be practicable to advertise vacancies for the post of ganger nor, so far as I am aware, has it ever been done. There are more than 2,000 separate works in each winter's programme of minor employment schemes, each of which has to be started at short notice, and persons employed as gangers on employment schemes are, as a rule, required only for a few months in each year and their employment is necessarily of a temporary and intermittent character.
That was since membership of a Fianna Fáil cumann ceased to be a qualification.
The corruption is now much more open.
Membership of a political association has ceased to be a qualification.
No pickings for Pa and the chickens; the Higginses make no blunder.