asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware that his proposal to ban local authority engineers from doing private engineering work will encourage the growth of the "black economy" and ensure the escalation of the cost of such work because of the work being transferred to consultants; if he considers the ban to be an unnecessary interference in employee's spare time; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority Engineers Private Practice.
18.
I am not so aware. Firstly, I should explain that since the sixties, rules of conduct for local authority officers have contained a provision that wholetime professional officers shall not engage in private practice in their respective or related professions. A similar provision was also embodied in the 1978 Engineers Working Party Report which was implemented by a conciliation agreement in April 1979. Non-engagement in private practice work is no more than a minimum requirement for officers who are required by virtue of their conditions of service to devote the whole of their time to the service of their employing local authorities.
In practice, the nature of local authority work is such that there is bound, in most cases, to be a conflict of interest in engaging in private practice. To put the matter on a formal basis I have recently made the Local Government (Officers) Regulations, 1984, which prohibit wholetime local authority professional officers from engaging in private practice. Copies of the regulations were circulated to all local authorities and the staff interests concerned.
It cannot be accepted that these necessary restrictions will have the effects mentioned in the question. They will, if anything, help to reduce the "black economy".
The Deputy will be aware that there is considerable unemployment at present amongst engineers in the private sector and the non-engagement of full-time officers in private works should leave more opportunities for employment available to them.
I agree with the Minister.