Each of the five relators is a first offender imprisoned in Louisiana State Penitentiary who, after serving one-third of his sentence, went before the Board of Parole and was denied parole without reasons. Reasons were requested, but in accordance with the board’s policy were refused. Mandamus was then sought from the Nineteenth Judicial District Court to compel the chief parole officer to give reasons for the denial of parole. On motion of this officer the mandamus proceedings were dismissed after a hearing, and we granted certiorari.

It is relators’ position that the law governing this matter is R.S. 49:951-966. They argue that the Board of Parole is an “Agency” within the definition of R.S. 49:951(2), and that therefore the board is required by R.S. 49:958 to give reasons for its actions.

The motion to dismiss sustained by the district judge is predicated on the proposition that the applicable law is R.S. 15:574.-2-574.14, especially R.S. 15:574.11. We agree with the respondent and the district judge.

Chapter 13 of Title 49 of the Revised Statutes, upon which relators rely, is entitled “Administrative Procedure”. It deals generally with administrative boards and agencies and prescribes their general powers and duties. The Board of Parole is created and regulated by Title 15, Chapter 5 “Reprieve, Pardon, and Parole”, Part II “Parole”. It is obvious from a reading of this law that the Board of Parole is not the usual administrative agency. The two laws are entirely different, and indeed their provisions are so conflicting as to be irreconcilable. For example, administrative bodies generally are required to publish a description of their organization, to make available for public inspection all rules and other written statements of policy and all final orders, decisions, and opinions, R.S. 49:952, and to file in the office of the Secretary of State a certified copy of all rules, which are to be kept in a permanent register in that office open to public inspection, R.S. 49:954. Moreover, other provisions of that title and chapter require notice, opportunity to answer and present evidence, a record of all pleadings and proceedings, and a final decision or order in writing or stated in the record; and judicial review of rules and their applicability and of all decisions and orders *604is provided, R.S. 49:955, 958, 962-964. A final decision of a board governed by the administrative statute must be given to all parties, accompanied by "findings of fact and conclusions of law” including "a concise and explicit statement of the underlying facts supporting the findings”, R.S. 49:958. On the other hand, the Board of Parole is required to keep confidential all its records and information other than “statistical information and all information of a general nature”, R.S. 15:574.12. In addition it is specifically provided that there is no appeal from the board’s decisions on the granting or refusing of parole, R.S. 15:574.11.1

A comparison of the law on parole with the law on administrative procedure makes it clear that the Board of Parole is not the sort of agency or board contemplated as subject to the law on general administrative procedure, and that the special provisions in Title 15 creating the Board of Parole and setting out its powers and duties are not complementary or supplementary to the general administrative rules of procedure.2

*606Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy, to be applied where ordinary means fail to afford adequate relief. It never issues except when there is a clear and specific right to be enforced or when there is a purely ministerial duty to be performed. See C.C.P. Arts. 3861, 3862, 3863. We find no law which gives relators a right to have, or which makes it the duty of the chief parole officer to furnish, reasons for refusal of parole. This being so, mandamus will not lie to compel the giving of reasons. State ex rel. People’s State Bank v. Police Jury of Red River Parish, 154 La. 389, 97 So. 584 (1923); Schmidt v. City of New Orleans, 164 La. 1006, 115 So. 63 (1927); State ex rel. Board of Com’rs for Lake Borgne Levee Dist. v. Trist, 234 La. 513, 100 So.2d 489 (1958).

The ruling of the district court dismissing these proceedings is affirmed.

(concurring).

I respectfully concur.

Act 191 of 1968 reorganized the parole board. The administrative procedure act (R.S. 49:951 et seq.) is Act 382 of 1966.

The board of parole act catalogs the duties and the powers of the board of parole. Detailed procedures are set up in the act. Although parole is termed “an administrative device” in the act, the decisions of the board are discretionary and there is, in general, no right of appeal from a decision of the board. R.S. 15:574.11. The information obtained by the board or its staff is confidential, and not subject to public inspection. R.S. 15:574.12-.

Consequently, it is apparent that the legislature, in its later enactment of provisions governing the board of parole, did not intend for the earlier administrative procedures act to apply.