I am the Minister, not a rubber stamp - Andrews

The Minister for Foreign Affairs denied he had politicised the making of appointments within his Department when he replied to special notice questions.

Mr Andrews also said he was unaware of any resignation threats by civil servants.

The Fine Gael spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Gay Mitchell, said: "Would the Minister agree that, far from upsetting some alleged old boy network, as the Minister has implied, he has politicised that old boy network."

Denying that there was any question of politicisation, Mr Andrews replied: "I think a politician, with great respect, brings a broader view to matters and problems of this nature and I brought that view to it."

He added he had brought the names of those being appointed to Government and they had been accepted without demur.

The Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said nobody was objecting to civil servants being promoted. "That is not the issue, and I hope you do find ways of promoting more well-deserving civil servants. What is at issue here is the manner in which you seem to override the recommendations of the MAC."

Mr Andrews asked: "Is it unlawful or illegal?" Mr De Rossa replied: "We all know that when it comes to industrial relations law is the last thing you need to resort to."

The DL leader asked if the Minister had interviewed the three people in question.

Mr Andrews replied that he had known the three individuals intimately for many, many years. He was not going to name them, because he had an old-fashioned view that people who could not at this moment represent or defend themselves should not be named.

One of them, he said, happened to be his private secretary when he was last minister for foreign affairs. He knew of the second person's reputation and what he had done. "I knew that he had been in hardship posts. I knew about his qualifications. I knew that he had been stuck at the position of first secretary for 18 years. For 18 years! And that is the sort of problem I am trying to resolve in the Department of Foreign Affairs."

He had known the third individual for a long time on a personal basis. "I have known his qualities. I have seen him operate. I have seen him welcome presidents. I have seen him welcome ministers. I have seen and heard of him looking after individual Dail deputies in groups of people coming into the countries where he served."

Mr Andrews said that while he had not interviewed the people concerned, he had known their qualities for a long time. "And that is the way I bring my judgment to bear on people."

Mr De Rossa asked if the Minister intended dispensing with the procedures in the Department for the promotion of staff, and apply his own insight and experience, and whether this would create good industrial relations within the Department.

Mr Andrews said he was entitled to do what he did under law. "As a matter of record, just to repeat once more, I accepted all six recommendations on promotions to counsellor. I decided in my wisdom, or unwisdom, that there were three very deserving individuals who had been stuck at a level of effort in the Department. And it simply was not fair. If I may say so, there are other people the deputy mentioned who are also stuck there because of the system that operates, or does not operate, as I see it, within the Department."

Mr Mitchell said it was extraordinary that at a time when Ireland was facing a variety of foreign policy issues the Minister and the Secretary General, Mr Paddy MacKernan, in the same office block, had to correspond with each other in the manner in which they did. Mr MacKernan, the most senior civil servant in the Department, had to seek an appointment with the Minister to discuss matters which were the Secretary General's responsibility and he did not get a reply.

Mr Andrews said he had received a letter from the Secretary General "advising me to run off and see the Taoiseach and to be a good boy and to take on board all he had said and take account of the concerns of people who had expressed contrary wishes to the places they intended being sent to and I should really read the correspondence."

He added that if he put some of the correspondence on the floor of the House, it would come as a great surprise and disappointment to Mr Mitchell. "I do not intend opening that correspondence, but it is there."

The Labour spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Dick Spring, said it was obvious there was an extreme degree of breakdown in the Minister's relationship with the Secretary General, a man who had served the State with dignity in both Washington and Brussels and in the Department. He asked the Minister what steps he intended to take to ensure that one of the most vital relationships could be re-established.

Amid exchanges with the Minister, Mr Spring said: "Will you stop muttering under your breath? I did not do it to you. I listened carefully to what you were saying with the usual disdain you have in this House. It was good of you to come in, mind you."

Mr Spring asked if there had been an offer or resignation or a threat to resign.

Mr Andrews replied: "I do not know where the deputy is getting his information from. I can only speculate. When you talk about honour and so on, one can think of other words, but we will not go down that particular route."

The Minister said he had to get somebody to go to Ankara and made the judgment himself. "He has accepted the position, and I really most genuinely believe that I have the best man for the job . . . I am not suggesting Ankara is a picnic, but I don't think it can be seen as a hardship post."

Mr Trevor Sargent (Green Party, Dublin North) asked when the Minister had last had an ordinary conversation with the Secretary General. It was particularly damaging that the Department of Foreign Affairs was the most notable Department where diplomatic relations had broken down. "It is a sad message to send out."

Mr Andrews said he had received a request from the Secretary General in writing for a meeting on a Wednesday and he had met him at 8 o'clock on the following Monday. As far as keeping in touch with the Secretary General was concerned, he said the Secretary General took his holidays in August.

When the Secretary General returned from holidays, he went off to do his duty with the President who was visiting Australia. He subsequently visited China with the Taoiseach. When the Secretary General came back, he (the Minister) had coincidentally gone to the United Nations for a week. Then he had accompanied the President to Canada.

Mr Andrews said he had been in touch with the Secretary General on a number of occasions during his travels through a high official in the Department. "I have to say that I did not speak to him, but I communicated with him."

Mr Mitchell asked if Mr MacKernan and senior officials in the Department were, at any stage, threatening to resign. Had the Tanaiste made representations to Mr Andrews about any of the decisions?

On threatened resignations, Mr Andrews said it was the first time the matter had come to his attention. "On the question of the Tanaiste making representations, I think it is fair to say that she did know one of the individuals concerned . . ."

He had brought the list of his proposals to the Cabinet, explained some of the problems to members, including the Tanaiste, and he had outlined very clearly the views of the Secretary General. "The whole thing was done above board from beginning to end. I am the Minister. I am not a rubber stamp, and I refuse to be a rubber stamp."