§ MR. CAREW (Dublin, College Green)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Edward Murphy, late permanent civil assistant, Ordnance Survey Department, Dublin, who on 21st October, 1891, on the certificate of Dr. Lydon, of Galway, was invalided and declared unfit for work; whether he is aware that in the previous February Corporal Juniper refused to grant sick leave to Murphy or allow him to see a doctor, though he was suffering from illness and unable to work; whether he is aware that Murphy claims that he obtained a medical certificate from Dr. Dowling, of Tuam, on 17th March following, stating that he was unfit for work, which certificate was suppressed by Corporal Juniper, whose duty it was to forward it to Captain Shaw; and that, in consequence of being forced to do duty under threat of dismissal when suffering from illness from February till October, grave injury has been done to Murphy; and whether he will grant an inquiry into the circumstances?
THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTUREI have made inquiry into this matter. Mr. Murphy was removed from his office some seven years 907 ago on account of his failure to discharge his duties with efficiency, and not by reason of bodily or mental infirmity. So far as I have been able to ascertain at this distance of time, there is no evidence whatever to support the allegations now made by Mr. Murphy, as indicated in the second and third paragraphs of the Question, and I can see no reason why the matter should now be re-opened.