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APPENDIX XXIV.DEPARTMENT OF POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS: WAIVER OF OVERPAYMENTS.Cléireach don Choiste um Chuntais Phoiblí. In 1927 the Department of Posts and Telegraphs were granted a delegated power in the following terms:— “To waive up to a limit of £20 in any one case recovery of overpayment of wages, etc. made and received in good faith in the following classes o cases (on the understanding that an overpayment to any officer of salary, subsistence allowance, travelling expenses, etc., shall not be treated as a loss unless it is irrecoverable and that all cases of overpayment due to fraud, suspected fraud or gross carelessness will be submitted individually to the Department of Finance):— A. Payments more than twelve months before discovery. B. Payments within twelve months of the discovery of error where serious hardship would be occasioned by recovery. (All payments subsequent to the discovery of error must be made at the corrected rate).” The authority originally sought by the Department was based on a power previously exercised under the British administration and did not include the portion underlined. The underlined condition was inserted by this Department at the time of sanction apparently as a result of discussions at the Public Accounts Committee (1924/25 Accounts)—vide paragraphs 1260-1278 of the published proceedings; paragraphs 1262 and 1272 are particularly relevant. The Department have now requested the doubling of the financial limit in the delegated authority and have further asked for the removal of the restrictive phrase so that they can deal more expeditiously with the infrequent cases of this kind which arise. It is considered that having regard to the size of the Department and the wide variety of delegated powers which it already enjoys, a reasonable case exists for the removal of the restrictive phrase subject to the reservation that recovery should not be waived in any case except where to recover would occasion serious hardship. No objection is seen to the proposal to rise the financial limit in the authority to £40. The Controller and Auditor General has been consulted and he is agreeable to the revision of the delegated authority along these lines. Having regard, however, to the circumstances in which the restrictive phrase was originally included in the delegated authority the Minister would be glad to know whether the Committee would see any objection to the revision of the authority as proposed. It may be mentioned that it is intended that the Department should be urged to use the authority sparingly and to consider the feasibility of recovery in whole or in part by instalments before waiver is finally decided upon in each case. (Singed) L. M. FITZGERALD, An Roinn Airgeadais. 18 Lúnasa, 1961. An Rúnaí, An Roinn Airgeadais. AN COISTE UM CHUNTAIS PHOIBLÍ. At its meeting on 1st inst. the Committee considered the proposal contained in Mr. Fitzgerald’s minute (E.82/32/51) of 18 Lúnasa 1961, that the financial limit in the delegated authority to the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to waive, in any one case, recovery of overpayment of wages, etc. made in good faith should be raised from £20 to £40. The Committee sees no objection to the proposal. The Committee also agrees to the submission that the restrictive words inserted by your Department in the original sanction in 1927 may be deleted subject to the reservation that recovery should not be waived in any case except where recovery would occassion serious financial hardship. The Committee notes that the Department of Posts and Telegraphs will be urged to use the new authority sparingly and consider the feasibility of recovery in whole or in part by instalments before waiver is finally decided upon in each case. (Sínithe) LIAM BROWNE, Cléireach an Choiste. 3 Márta, 1962. |
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