Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 14 Mar 1961

Vol. 187 No. 4

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Returning Officers.

15.

Mr. Barrett

asked the Minister for Local Government if he will give particulars in respect of each person who acted as a deputy returning officer in any constituency at the election held in March, 1957 of (a) that person's normal post and his total annual remuneration (including allowances and perquisites), and (b) the total additional remuneration paid to that person out of public funds in respect of his services at that election, whether by way of fees, charges, allowances for clerical assistance, or otherwise.

17.

Mr. Barrett

asked the Minister for Local Government if he will give particulars in respect of each person who acted as a deputy returning officer in any constituency at the Presidential Election and Referendum of 1959 of (a) that person's normal post and his total annual remuneration (including allowances and perquisites), and (b) the total additional remuneration paid to that person out of public funds in respect of his services at that election and referendum, whether by way of fees, charges, allowances for clerical assistance or otherwise.

Mr. Blaney

I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 15 and 17 together. As the reply contains a tabular statement, I also propose, with your permission to circulate it with the Official Report.

Following is the reply:—

Payments to persons for acting as deputy returning officers are made by the returning officer from amounts paid to him by the Minister for Finance in accordance with a scale of maximum charges laid down, in the case of a general election, by the Returning Officers' (Borough and County Constituencies) Charges Order, 1937, as amended in 1947, 1948 and 1951, and in the case of the Presidential Election and Referendum of June, 1959, by the Referendum and Presidential Elections (Local Returning Officers' Charges and Accounts) Regulations, 1959. I have no information as to the amounts actually paid by returning officers to individual deputy returning officers within the prescribed maxima.

The following table sets out the other information sought by the Deputy in so far as it is available.

PERSONS Approved as Deputy Returning Officers at General Election of March, 1957, and Presidential Election and Referendum of June, 1959.

I. GENERAL ELECTION

Constituency	Deputy Returning Officer	Normal Post	Total Annual Remuneration
March 1957	June 1959
Cork, North	Hugh A. Ludlow (B) Solicitor.	Not in public service	Not available
Cork, South	Redmond O'Regan (B) Solicitor.	Not in public service	Not available
Cork, West	*Thomas Healy (B) Solicitor.	Not in public service	Not available
Donegal, East	Sean D. Mac Lochlainn (A)	Donegal County Manager.	£2,060
Dublin, North (Central).	*John Eyre (B) Solicitor.	Asst. Law Agent, Dublin Corporation.	£1,432	£1,552
Dublin, North (East).	W.G. Fallon, B.L. (B)	Not in public service	Not available
Dublin, South (Central).	*D.J. Bergin (B) Solicitor.	Not in public service	Not available
Dublin, South (East).	Edward Fahy, B.L. (B)	Not in public service	Not available
Dublin, South (West).	Peter D. Maguire, B.L. (B)	Not in public service	Not available
Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown.	Noel Peart, S.C. (B)	Not in public service	Not available
Galway, North	Richard Fahy (A)	Clerical Officer	£562	£652
Galway, South	Eamonn Ó Dubhthaigh (C)	Chief Clerk, Class III	£788	£908
Galway, West	*Eamonn Ó Dubhthaigh (C)
Kerry, South	Patrick Raymond (B)	Senior Clerk, Class III	£815	£884
Limerick, West	Patrick J. Champion (B)	Chief Clerk, Class III	£753	£875
Mayo, North	John Bolger (A)	Chief Clerk, Class III	£732	£852
Tipperary, North	Thomas Brophy (A)	Acting County Secretary, Tipperary (N.R.) County Council.	£1,240	£1,288

II. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND REFERENDUM OF JUNE, 1959

The deputy returning officers were the same with the following exceptions:

Constituency	Deputy Returning Officer	Normal Post	Total Annual Remuneration
Cork, East	L.M. Collins, Solicitor	Not in public service	Not available
Donegal, East	Desmond G. Williams	Donegal County Manager.	£1,940
Dublin, North (West).	Anthony Murray, A.C.A.	Not in public service	Not available
Dublin, South (Central).	Vincent Walsh, Solicitor	Not in public service	Not available

* General Election only. At the Presidential Election and Referendum Mr. Eyre acted in Dublin South (West) and Mr. Bergin in Dublin South (East).

(A) Deputy returning officer approved to receive nominations, open ballot boxes and count the votes.

(B) Deputy returning officer approved to open ballot boxes and count the votes only.

(C) Eamonn Ó Dubhthaigh approved as deputy returning officer to receive nominations only for the constituency of West Galway and to open the ballot boxes and to count the votes only in the constituency of South Galway.

At the Presidential Election and Referendum all deputy returning officers were approved to open ballot boxes and count the votes.

16.

Mr. Barrett

asked the Minister for Local Government if he will give particulars of the normal post and the total annual remuneration (including allowances) of the person who was appointed to be Presidential and Referendum Returning Officer in 1959; and what additional remuneration, whether by way of fee, allowance or gratuity, was paid out of public funds to that person in respect of his services in connection with the said election and referendum.

Mr. Blaney

The person appointed to undertake the statutory duties of Presidential Returning Officer and Referendum Returning Officer in 1959 was a Principal in my Department and his total annual remuneration was £1,888. He performed the duties in connection with the Presidential Election and the Referendum in addition to his normal duties. A combined gratuity of £300 was paid to him in respect of his services in connection with the Presidential Election and the Referendum.