asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the appointments made by him to his Department since his appointment as a member of Government, the names of those appointed, the nature of each post and salary attached thereto and if such appointments have been made from within the public service or elsewhere.

I have made no appointment in my Department since my present appointment as member of the Government other than those (a) made as a result of competitions conducted by the Civil Service Commissioners; (b) arising in the normal course of promotions; and (c) made to posts listed as Scheduled Occupations in the First Schedule to the Civil Service Commissioners Act, 1956.

Will the Minister give details of those appointed under subhead (c)?

Messengers and people of that kind. There were no appointments of any importance, but if the Deputy wants further elucidation of the matter I will supply him with the information.

Were the appointments confined to messengers?

Messengers and cleaners, part-time temporary jobs.

Will the Minister supply me with a list of those appointed?

I will.

Will the Minister tell the House if in his appointments to his cabinet he has appointed an official specifically to look after his constituency affairs? If such an appointment has been made I should like to know the grade in the civil service this person holds.

We do not do things like that; that is a hang-up from Coalition days. I take people offered to me by my Department. We behave ourselves as a Government and we do not make perks available in our private offices for all sorts of sycophants dragged in from outside. It is not our style.

Surely the Minister has a better joke than that.

I should like to know if there is an official in the Minister's Department, or his Cabinet, solely responsible for the affairs of his constituency.

I do not have a cabinet; I have a private office, as has been the position in regard to all Ministers since the foundation of the State. The people in that private office are civil servants who were recruited in the ordinary way.

Has any person been specifically delegated to take care of the Minister's constituency work and, if so, at what level?

I have a Private Secretary who looks after most matters that need attention to by any Private Secretary. That Private Secretary is on the same basis as every Private Secretary appointed since the formation of the State. I do not know what the Deputy is getting at. I believe there is a certain amount of insanity gripping the Opposition benches.

It is blowing across the chamber a bit.

If there is it is contagious.

I should like to know if the Minister has anybody in his Department to advise him on affairs in Northern Ireland.

That is part of the ordinary staffing of my Department.

Does he keep the Minister better advised on that situation than he does in relation to the Palestinian question?

If we employed the Deputy he would make a hames of it.