asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that the September, 1963 monthly meeting of Laois County Council gave authority to the county manager to make a clerical appointment in the Motor Taxation Office; that the county manager then decided to create a new post of staff officer in the Motor Taxation Department; that this post was not advertised; and that no opportunity was given to existing members of the county council staff to apply for it; why this position was not advertised; if he will state the method by which it was filled; if he is aware that the county secretary has informed members of the Council that the Minister is aware of all the circumstances surrounding this appointment; and if he will make a general statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Laois County Council Post.
The Laois County Council's proposal for the creation of an additional office of staff officer in the motor taxation office was sanctioned by me on 6th December, 1963. It was stated that the county council at their meeting of 30th September, 1963, had consented to the creation of the additional office. The local authority's proposal of 22nd January, 1964, for the appointment of a person to the newly created office was sanctioned by me on 6th February, 1964. The information furnished by the local authority indicated that the appointment was being made on the results of a competition held in August, 1963, which was open to the qualified officers of local authorities generally, including the staff of Laois County Council. The person appointed was the next person in order of merit available from the results of that competition and he was certified by the local authority to be possessed of all the qualifications for appointment.
Was the position advertised or is the local authority at libery to make such an appointment without advertising it?
The fact of the matter is, as I say, that a competition was held last August, as a result of which the successful applicant was taken and in relation to which the council gave their consent and asked for my approval, which they duly got, as to the creation of the additional post and, further, having sent forward the person whom they proposed to appoint and having certified that person to be possessed of the necessary qualifications, again they got, in the ordinary course, the approval of the Minister for Local Government.
The question I asked is: was the position advertised and was the competition the result of an advertisement?
On that, I am not quite sure about this advertisement. The one thing I do know is that Deputy Flanagan, for instance, was aware of it before it happened, during the time it was happening and all the time since it happened and there was not a squeak out of him and he is not here to talk for himself this evening, which is not unusual, of course.
The post was not advertised.
There was nobody qualified in the country who was not aware that the post was available and that it was open to him to go forward for it. The person appointed, according to the certificate of the local authority, was the next available person from the competition held last August possessed of the proper qualifications for it. That person was appointed.
How could they be so aware?
There was nobody qualified in the country who was not aware.
The post was not advertised. The Minister does not know whether or not there was anybody in the country who was not aware of it.
The persons who possessed the qualifications were aware of the fact that this post had been created by this local authority.
There must have been a very strong corps of people who only could be taxation officers.
Those are the people.
What about people in any other local authority?
There is no point in making out that there was anything wrong——
I am not saying that there was anything wrong.
——because of the fact that an allegation is made by a Deputy against a colleague from his own constituency that because this person may be a 32nd cousin of that colleague, there is anything wrong with that person getting the post.
It was not advertised.
It was given much more publicity and advertisement than a whole lot of things that were done in your constituency by the local authority of which you are a member, and well you know it.
Anything done in that local authority is all right.
This was more above-board than things I know about.
There was nothing done underhand in my local authority. The Minister should withdraw that.
Withdraw what?
The Minister has not said anything that he should be asked to withdraw.
What did I say?
That more things were done underhand.
I said that this was more above-board than many things done in the local authority of which you are a member.
I am proud to be a member of that local authority and proud of the stand they took against the Minister.
I still say that this was more above-board than many things done in your local authority.
We put the foxes in their place, anyhow.
More above-board than many of those things.