asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that a vacancy for a rural postman existed recently in the Kilsallagh postal district, County Galway; that applicants for the position included substitute postmen; that one of the applicants was a man living on four acres of land with an excellent record in temporary postal services for 15 years; that preference was given to an applicant having 25 acres of land and no postal service record whatsoever, and if he will state what factors were taken into consideration in determining the most suitable and deserving applicant.

The claims of all the applicants for the part-time post at Kilsallagh were carefully considered and the appointment was given to a married man with a family, who was regarded as the most suitable and deserving of the applicants.

Arising out of the Minister's reply, I should like to know was a knowledge of Irish a test in this case, or if there is any test?

I do not think that would apply in this area. Kilsallagh is the area in question and Castlereagh, I think, is the head post office.

I believe that Kilsallagh is in the area for Gaeltacht purposes.

As that was not part of the question, I am not prepared to answer it at the moment.

Is it the policy of the Minister's Department, where a vacancy arises, that preference is given to a substitute with a longer service?

That was the case before the new regulation with regard to dependants came in; that is, the regulation with regard to married men with the largest number of dependants. In this case the man had a wife and four children. The Deputy states that this man was the owner of a farm of 25 acres, but my information is that he was part-owner with his brother of that farm and was a married man with four children. In the other case the man had ten acres of his own and one child.

Is it not a fact that there were eight applicants for this position; that one of those who had 15 years' service belonged to one particular Party and that another man with 10 years' service belonged to the Government's own Party? The man with the 15 years' service until six years ago had a valuation of 1/-. He then got additional land which brought his valuation up to £3 14s. He is the supporter of a widowed mother. The other man had eight years' service and if my information is correct his valuation is £14 and he has 25 acres of land and never carried a post-bag.

I do not think the Deputy's information is correct. He ought to be certain of his information before he comes in here and says that the man has 25 acres. My information is that he has not.

My information is that he has. Is the determining factor in this appointment that the man who got the position is the cousin of a Fianna Fáil Deputy?

Not so far as I am concerned.

I should like to ask the Minister if a man living in a labourer's cottage had made application for that position?

There were eight applicants.

What about Irish in the Gaeltacht area?

It is not a Gaeltacht area—I am pretty certain of that.