asked the Minister for Labour if he will give the following details in respect of each personal assistant, adviser, consultant, secretary, typist, or any other category employed from outside the civil service in a temporary, part-time, permanent or contractual capacity from 18 December to date: name, rank, remuneration, terms and conditions of employment, if seconded and, if so, from where.
Ceisteanna—Questions . Oral Answers . - Staff Appointments .
5.
: A similar question by the Deputy answered on 26 January 1983 covered the situation up to that date. Since then there have been two further appointments.
Mr. Roy Dooney has been appointed as personal assistant to the Minister of State at a salary of £10,533 per annum. Mr. Dooney is employed in a temporary capacity and his appointment will terminate not later than the date on which the Government cease to hold office. He had been employed by the National Federation of Youth Clubs and the question of his secondment from that body is being considered.
Information concerning the pending appointment of Dr. Fergus O'Ferrall is being given in reply to a separate question today.
: Would the Minister agree that the total cost of appointments in his Department is in the region of £60,000? Would he indicate how this expenditure is justified?
: The question tabled related to appointments subsequent to 26 January and has been answered on that basis.
: I am taking the combined totals, including appointments prior to 26 January. The figure is now in excess of £60,000.
: I have not the salaries about which the Deputy was informed on 26 January but if the Deputy tells me that this is the figure, I will not dispute it.
: Does the Minister feel the expenditure is justified for people outside the civil service?
: I am quite satisfied that all the appointments made will increase the efficiency with which the Minister for Labour and myself will carry out our tasks. I note that when the Deputy opposite was in this Department he found it helpful to make an appointment outside the civil service.
: Is it the Minister's policy that one of the advisers named by him today should make public statements on his behalf? On whose behalf does he make such statements? When he gives press interviews, such as on last Sunday, on whose behalf——
: That is a separate question.
: No, it arises from the Minister's reply. This person is a paid adviser. Do the views expressed by him in last Sunday's newspaper interview represent the views of the Minister or are they his own personal views?
: There is another question related to the appointment of Dr. Fergus O'Ferrall.
6.
asked the Minister for Labour if he will state the following details in respect of the recently announced appointment of a person (details supplied) as an adviser in his Department (a) salary and any other remuneration; (b) terms and conditions of employment; (c) the capacity in which he has been employed; (d) the functions allocated to him; (e) the method of selection for the appointment; (f) his qualifications for the post; (g) if he is on secondment and, if so, from where; and (h) his previous occupation.
: The intention to appoint Dr. Fergus O'Ferrall, President of the National Youth Council was announced on 28 February 1983.
Dr. O'Ferrall has not yet taken up a position in my Department and will not do so until a contract of employment has been concluded and signed. Such a contract will, of course, be only for the duration of the lifetime of the Government.
In these circumstances it is not possible for me to give the Deputy the details sought at (a) and (b) of his question but when agreement is concluded I will be pleased to let Deputy Fitzgerald have the information sought.
In regard to the other parts of the question Dr. O'Ferrall will be employed as special adviser on youth affairs. His appointment, which has been welcomed by the National Youth Council, is in the context of the major policy initiative in the youth area recently announced by me. Dr. O'Ferrall was selected for appointment on the basis of his wide ranging experience on matters relating to youth affairs. That experience includes serving at present as President of the National Youth Council of Ireland, membership of the board of the Youth Employment Agency, membership of the Adult Education Commission, membership of the Manpower Consultative Committee's sub-committee on youth employment, membership of the Employment Action Team, membership of the executive committee of Aontas, and membership of the Institute of Training and Development.
Dr. O'Ferrall is at present employed as training manager with Macra Na Feirme and when he takes up appointment he will be on secondment from there.
: Is he not a member of Fine Gael as well?
: After that brainstorming exercise naming all sorts of organisations, some important and others not so important, would the Minister indicate what other applicants were considered for this appointment and what particular qualities Dr. O'Ferrall has, other than his membership of Fine Gael?
: Fair play to the Minister. He is blushing.
: When is it expected that the contractual documents will be completed and when will Dr. O'Ferrall take up duty? Do the views expressed in last Sunday's article represent his own personal viewpoint, that of the Minister of State or that of the Minister for Labour, a member of the Government, who should be the person taking these type of decisions?
: The Deputy will recall from his own experience when appointing an adviser that there are procedures to be gone through and these procedures are now in train. This involves Departments other than the Department of Labour. The Department of the Public Service, to name just one, are also involved.
: He is the sixth.
: The precedents established are of course helpful in expediting these matters. We naturally look at all the existing precedents. In selecting Dr. O'Ferrall regard was had to his preeminence in the area as indicated by his very wide range of experience. It was felt that his qualities and experience would be of substantial benefit to me in my work in the area of youth affairs.
: The Minister said he would let me have the information when the contract was completed. Obviously this would be of some benefit to all Members of the House. Would he let the House have this information or let me have it in the House rather than privately?
: I am not sure what procedures exist which would enable me to do that. If the Deputy puts down another question I can give him the information. Alternatively I will make it available to him privately and he can do what he wishes in terms of circularising it.
: When I put down a question to a Minister of State the House is entitled to hear the answer. I would ask the Minister to make the information available to the House.