§ 24. Mr. BYRNEasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state the name, position in the Local Government Board for Ireland, and salary received by the person who has been appointed contrary to all precedent in Dublin as official shorthand writer to the Irish Rebellion (Victims) Committee; if he will explain how this shorthand writer will be able to discharge his present duties at the Customs House while he is acting as shorthand writer to the Committee mentioned; whether it is proposed to give him facilities for doing other work for outside bodies while in the employment of the Local Government Board; and, if so, whether his services to the Local Government Board are absolutely essential?
§ Mr. DUKEThe Irish Rebellion (Victims) Committee have appointed, with the approval of the Local Government Board, Mr. R. J. Purcell, one of the shorthand writers of the Board, to take such notes as may be required. His salary from the Board is £3 per week. The time he may spend taking such notes will be counted against his leave. As his annual leave is twenty-one days in all, this employment is necessrily of a very limited character.
§ Mr. DUKEI do not know that there is anything which can properly be called a custom. I am quite sure that those who have the distribution of such work in Dublin are very anxious that it should be fairly distributed. Those who were responsible for this appointment to do this work, arising out of the rebellion, took the course indicated, and I am not going to intervene.
§ Mr. BYRNEHas it not been the custom to employ journalists, and could they not leave these employés where they are?