PDs and FF to attempt censure of De Rossa

OPPOSITION parties will attempt to censure the Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa, next week over his statement that five posts as advisers in his office were not advertised.

Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats tabled a joint motion last night calling on Mr De Rossa to resign from office if he fails to correct the record of the House in accordance with long standing practice. The motion will be debated in private members time next Tuesday and Wednesday.

After the most acrimonious Dail session for some time, the Fianna Fail spokesman on social welfare, Mr Joe Walsh, announced yesterday afternoon that the party would be tabling a motion of no confidence in Mr De Rossa today.

However, they backed away from a confidence motion after consultations with the PDs, fearing that such a format would facilitate a "puff job" by the Government.

The controversy over what does, or does not, constitute an advertisement led to the adjournment of the Dail in uproar yesterday, with Mr Walsh describing Mr De Rossa as "a liar".

Mr De Rossa has now referred this accusation to the Committee of Procedure and Privileges. Fianna Fail had asked the committee last week to investigate whether Mr De Rossa had misled the Dail.

The constant calls for Mr De Rossa to correct the record of the Dail follow his statement, at Question Time on January 23rd, that five posts as advisers in the political research unit of his Department "were not advertised".

Fianna Fail subsequently produced a copy of Democratic Left's newsletter, Forum, which carried a notice last August inviting interested persons to "submit a CV immediately for the personal attention of John Gallagher, Democratic Left, 69 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1". Mr Gallagher is the general secretary of Democratic Left.

Mr De Rossa told political correspondents yesterday that the whole affair had ceased to be a farce because he had been accused of being a liar in the Dail.

The day the Dail question was put to him he was asked it in a particular context, Mr De Rossa said. The question from Mr Walsh asked: "Do I take it that only politically informed people read the DL circular and all other politically interested people are agnostics?

"Does he consider it satisfactory that the staffing of this unit was advertised only in the internal pamphlet of DL?" Mr De Rossa replied: "The answer to the first part of the deputy's question is no. The positions were not advertised".

His understanding of an advertisement, he stated, was that it was a public advertisement.