asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state with regard to each of the following local authorities: Galway County Council, Mayo County Council, Roscommon County Council and Tipperary North Riding and Tipperary South Riding County Councils (a) the number of officials of all grades employed, and (b) the number of officials with two or more years' service who have been promoted to higher grades, either in their own local authority or to some other local authority within the twelve year period 1952-64.

The information requested by the Deputy in the first part of his question in so far as it relates to offices in relation to which I am the appropriate Minister, is in the form of a tabular statement which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, will be circulated with the Official Report. The information requested in the second part of the question is not available in my Department.

Following is the statement:

STAFF of Local Authorities for which the Minister for Local Government is the appropriate Minister

Position at 31st December, 1963

21.

asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that officials of long service with Galway County Council have poor promotional opportunities in comparison with those of other local authorities such as Tipperary North Riding and Tipperary South Riding County Councils; and what action he proposes to take to eliminate the very serious disproportion in the number of officials promoted from the various local authorities.

22.

asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that officials of local authorities in the West of Ireland are being denied promotional opportunities; and, if so, if he will undertake a thorough investigation of the present system of promotion, including the operation of the Local Appointments Commission with a view to ensuring equal opportunity for all.

Le do cheadsa, a Cheann Comhairle, tóghfaidh mé Ceisteanna 21 agus 22 le chéile.

I am not aware that officers of Galway County Council have poor promotional opportunities in comparison with those of other local authorities nor am I aware that officers of local authorities in the west of Ireland are being denied promotional opportunities. Offices to which the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1926, applies are filled on the recommendation of the Local Appointments Commissioners and the competitions held by the Commissioners in connection with the filling of such offices are open to all persons who possess the appropriate qualifications including officers of the local authorities referred to. I do not accept the Deputy's implication that the operation of the Local Appointments Commission does not provide equal opportunity for all qualified candidates. In the case of promotions to offices to which the Act of 1926 does not apply, local authorities have discretion to make appointments to such offices either as a result of competitions open to the local authority service as a whole or open to the service of the particular local authority or group of local authorities having the same manager or by way of promotion subject to the appropriate Minister's sanction of an existing officer of the local authority concerned.

The procedures for appointments and promotions to local authority offices have operated satisfactorily for many years and I do not propose to take any action to alter them.