De Rossa denies misleading House on job notices

THE Minister for Social Welfare denied misleading the House on the appointment of five advisers to his private office.

Mr De Rossa was responding to a series of written questions from opposition deputies, who have claimed that he misled the Dail when he said that the posts had not been advertised.

He insisted that the Democratic Left publication, Forum, where notice of the vacancies was published, was not a magazine. It was an internal party newsletter circulated privately and free of charge.

"The notice in Forum relating to my staff appointments could not be regarded as an advertisement in the commonly accepted sense of that term," he said.

In his written reply, Mr De Rossa said that the procedures followed by him in making the appointments were strictly in accordance with the standard practice adopted by current and previous office holders going back to 1973. Announcement of the posts within the Department, or to staff unions, or by public advertisement, did not arise.

He said that the posts were approved by the Government in the normal way, and the appointments procedure involved no cost to public funds.

The matter was earlier raised on the Order of Business, however, before the replies to the written questions became available. The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, said that the Taoiseach should arrange for Mr De Rossa to make a statement apologising for misleading the Dail. The Minister had stated in the House that the posts were not advertised, but it subsequently transpired that they were advertised in the Democratic Left newspaper.

It had been the time honoured practice in the House for members to apologise for making misleading statements. Senior people had been taken on by the Government, using taxpayers' money, and the House had been misled about the manner of their recruitment.

Agreeing with Mr Ahern, the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, said that Mr De Rossa had misled the House. If the issue related to a Fine Gael Minister or Minister of State, she was certain that the Taoiseach would have intervened.

When the Leas Cheann Comhairle, Mr Joe Jacob, said the matter was not relevant to the Order of Business, Ms Harney insisted that the Minister had "deliberately" misled the House. Mr Jacob said that the word "deliberately" should not be used, and he asked her to withdraw it.

Ms Harney replied: "If I could hear from the Minister for Social Welfare, I would be prepared to do that." She added that if she had not seen a copy of Forum, which was circulated to Democratic Left TDs and members only, she would not have known that the positions were advertised.

Asked by Mr Dermot Ahern (FF, Louth) if he would give Government time to discuss the Fianna Fail motion. Mr Bruton said he understood that it was a private member's motion. Fianna Fail was provided with time each week to debate its own motions.

He advised deputies, who were very free in their capacity to reflect on the integrity of others, to wait until they read Mr De Rossa's answers to the written questions.