Dear Mr Bread: Department feels heat over letter to baker

The Department of Jobs has blamed an “administrative error” after Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton’s private secretary embarrassingly addressed a nationally renowned baker as “Mr Bread”.

Thu, 23 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Joe Leogue

Declan Ryan, managing director of Ryan’s Arbutus Bread received the letter after he contacted Mr Bruton to suggest the introduction of an apprenticeship scheme to train young people in traditional skills.

Mr Ryan, who was the first chef in Ireland to receive a Michelin Star, employs 17 people at his Cork City bakery, but none of his bakers served their apprenticeship in Ireland.

“From my association with other European bakers it appears that only Ireland does not have an apprenticeship scheme,” Mr Ryan wrote to the minister.

Last week he received a letter from Mr Bruton’s private secretary, addressed to “Mr Arbutus Bread”.

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“Dear Mr Bread”, the letter began, before acknowledging receipt of the letter and informing him that the suggestion has been passed onto Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan.

Two days later Mr Ryan received a reply, correctly addressed, from Ms O’Sullivan’s private secretary in which he was instructed that the matter had been passed on again, this time to Junior Minister Damien English, who has special responsibility in the area of skills and training.

Speaking of the initial reply, Mr Ryan jokingly said that it was an honour that the State has conferred the title “Mr Bread” on him.

“When you think of the wages that these people are on and they can’t get a simple thing like that right, I despair of them,” he said.

The baker said that he believes there is an element of “snobbery” in attitudes towards apprenticeships.

“We have all these young people but they can’t all go to college, and many are not academically minded or want to.

“They can’t all end up working in online operations or for multinational companies,” he said.

A Department of Jobs spokesperson said that an administrative error resulted in Mr Ryan’s name being substituted with the name of his company in its reply to his original letter.

“In relation to the substantive issues being raised by Mr Ryan in his letter, Minister English is the minister responsible for this area, the issues have now been brought to his attention and he will be in touch with Mr Ryan shortly to arrange a meeting,” the spokesperson said.