I should like to comment also on the question of the Local Appointments Commission disqualifying a candidate after he has, in fact, been notified that he has passed an examination, passed his medical test, and has actually been filling the job for a number of years. He is then disqualified without any reason being given. This happened to a very decent man in the employment of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. Possibly he is the same person about whom Deputy Ryan spoke.
For a number of years he was employed as a temporary postman. He did a confined examination for a permanent position. He was placed seventh at that examination, seventh in the whole country. After he had been notified of the fact that he had passed and that his medical history was satisfactory, he was informed he could not be employed. The matter was discussed by way of question and answer on a number of occasions here but no satisfactory explanation was given.
I think it is a shocking thing that that young man, his wife and family should be left under suspicion, the suspicion that he did something which prevented him from being appointed as a permanent postman, despite the fact that no evidence whatever was submitted. I am sure the Minister will, as his predecessor did, and as I am sure his successor will, keep the man in temporary employment, but it is just not good enough that the Local Appointments Commission should be entitled to stain a man's character without giving any explanation. The sooner that sort of thing is cleared up the better it will be.
This is one case, but the fact that one decent man has had his character besmirched because of the failure of the Local Appointments Commission to give the necessary information, should be sufficient to warrant a change in the law. I suggest that the Minister should do something about it now. The very least the man is entitled to is information as to why he was turned down. If he got that information the possibility is that everybody would be satisfied, but every effort to get that information has been foiled by the Local Appointments Commission who say they have decided that they will not give any explanation. I know of one or two other cases. They were not so serious because the information that the person had been successful was not so widespread. Consider the position of a young man rearing a family in a country town subject to all the embarrassment caused by this stupid regulation.