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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 1991

Vol. 407 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Medical Standard Required by Civil Service Commission.

Deputy Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) has been given permission to raise the matter of the medical standard required by the Civil Service Commission particularly in relation to eyesight and if these same standards apply to semi-State companies. Deputy Browne has five minutes.

(Carlow-Kilkenny): Go raibh míle maith agat a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Tá mé buíoch go bhfuil seans agam an cheist seo a phlé.

At the outset I want to inform you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, that you, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Garret FitzGerald, Deputy Dick Spring and even President Bush need not apply to Iarnród Éireann for the most mundane job because you would not get it since you wear spectacles. This is the difficulty we have tonight. I would advise you all to stay with the jobs you have.

New regulations were implemented on 28 February which mean that anybody doing a medical test will have to read without their glasses, and in this day and age that only happens when one is looking for spectacles. In my view a plate layer who works on the railway line replacing the track should not be subjected to this rule because if he is wearing glasses he can see perfectly. It has been long accepted that glasses replace weak eyesight and help to overcome it. We have had medical tests over the years and they have been useful both to employers and employees. We have to agree at this stage that spectacles are acceptable.

I would like the Minister to tell me exactly what standards are laid down by the Civil Service Appointments Commission because if the requirements of Iarnród Éireann were implemented nationwide, nearly half the workforce would lose their jobs, that is, if I can judge by the treatment meted out to one Carlow applicant who was sent to Dublin for his medical.

The company's excuse is that this standard is necessary because of mobility of the workforce in Iarnród Éireann. This excuse rings very hollow in view of the fact that the system in Iarnród Éireann is to release temporary workers a month before they have served their time to become permanent and then re-employ them. If this is the kind of mobility they are talking about, workers can do without it. It is difficult to accept that a bespectacled worker on a railway line would not see an object as large as a train. It is incredible that the board of Iarnród Éireann fail to accept that after the age of 40 most people's eyesight weakens. It is entirely unacceptable that in this day of scarce employment barriers should be put in the way of workers.

Let me add that I think it is regrettable that I have to make this statement before the Minister makes his. I appeal to him to take up the case of Iarnród Eireann because the workers there are getting a very raw deal. I am amazed that the unions have not taken up this case. I look forward to the Minister's reply to assure me that this system cannot be allowed to continue.

I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Finance.

I should first point out that, under the terms of the Civil Service Commissioners Act, 1956, recruitment to positions in the Civil Service is a matter for the Civil Service Commissioners who are completely independent in the performance of their functions. The principle of independent recruitment contained in the Act is an extremely important one, guaranteeing that all candidates for positions in the Civil Service are considered in a fair and impartial manner and that merit is the criterion for selection.

Under section 17 of the 1956 Act, the commissioners are required to satisfy themselves on a number of matters before accepting that a person is qualified for appointment. These include that the person is in good health and free from any physical defect or disease which would be likely to interfere with the proper discharge of the duties of the post and that the person possesses the physical characteristics, if any, prescribed for the position in the regulations for the competition in question.

The commissioners are thus required to ensure, among other things, that a candidate's eyesight is of a standard which would enable him or her to perform the duties of the position effectively both at the time of recruitment and in the future. This applies equally to those recruited from special competitions for people with disabilities.

I understand that the standard of eyesight is determined by the Civil Service Commissioners on the advice of the chief medical officer and would vary according to the duties of the position in question. Standards would be more stringent, for example, for posts in certain services such as air traffic control, prisons or customs and excise than for posts of an administrative or clerical nature. Candidates who are regarded as unsuitable for appointment because of defective vision are notified accordingly. They may appeal this decision and their case is then referred to an independent specialist.

The Deputy has outlined a particular kind of case. Certainly the Minister is prepared to contact the Civil Service Commission and to make them aware of the concerns expressed here tonight. The Minister has no function in relation to recruitment to State bodies. I am not in a position to deal with this aspect of the Deputy's question. However, I am sure the Deputy is aware that it is normal for an employer to make inquiries about the suitability of prospective employees from a health point of view. Essentially, the Civil Service Commissioners are independent. They are governed by legislation but within that there can, of course, be scope for reconsideration of the application of that legislation. In view of the points made by the Deputy tonight the Minister will ask the Commissioners to look at this question.

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