asked the Minister for Local Government if he intends to amend the regulations relating to the conditions of service of town clerks of towns with a population similar to Drogheda or Dundalk, so as to equate them with county secretaries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Town Clerks.
16.
I am not clear what exactly the Deputy has in mind but I may say generally that there is no proposal before me at present to equate the conditions of service of the town clerks in question with those of county secretaries.
Is the Minister aware that in a little over 20 years there have been seven town clerks in Drogheda? It takes a new town clerk some time to settle in. Each town clerk has barely had time to get down to dealing with the basic problems facing Drogheda when he leaves for a new post. Does the Minister believe that this is desirable or helpful to Drogheda?
I carry on the arrangement which was in operation for a very long time in regard to the appointment of town clerks and the conditions of service for town clerks and for county secretaries are different. Is the Deputy referring to salary?
To status.
There is no way in which a county secretary could be appointed to act in a town. Perhaps Deputy Faulkner could explain.
Would the Minister agree that, as Drogheda and Dundalk are among the largest towns outside the county boroughs, the persons who fill the position of town clerk in these towns are among the ablest in the local government services, and as they cannot compete for the position of county manager with any hope of success without first being county secretaries it is inevitable that movement of town clerks from these towns will continue to the detriment of both towns?
There is no way in which I could alter the situation. There is a proposal from Drogheda at present that I should give consideration to the creation of a separate post as manager for the borough but that is not possible. Officially, Drogheda has a population of only 19,000 while Dundalk has about 21,600. There is no way that this matter can be dealt with at present. Dún Laoghaire with about 55,000 of a population have a town clerk so unless some proposal is put up I cannot alter the situation. I am as perturbed as Deputy Faulkner about Drogheda and various other towns where town clerks are appointed and stay only a short time. This is a pity but Deputy Faulkner's suggestion is not the answer.
Would the Minister give the situation some further thought? Would the Minister agree that the duties and responsibilities of town clerks in towns like Dundalk and Drogheda are at least equal to and in some instances even greater than the duties of some county secretaries?
I would not agree. I agree that they are very big. Deputy Faulkner will agree that there are places with three times the population of Drogheda and they are on the same scale. The top scale for Drogheda and Dundalk is now £6,711 as compared with £7,066 so there is about £400 per year of a difference at the top of the scale. I hope to do something about this in the new legislation in regard to local authorities because it is disgraceful that some people stay for only a few months and then move on.
Will the Minister have a look at it?
I will.