asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that recently permanent employees of the Care and Maintenance Party at Haulbowline Dockyard were engaged on ship repairing work sent in by an outside firm; whether at the moment some of those permanent employees are engaged at diving work for the British Authorities at Spike Island; whether he will state the reasons for this, in view of assurances given by his Department on December 20th, 1924, to the effect that those permanent men would not be employed in any outside work if it involved a diminution of work for men who would otherwise be employed, and if he is aware that there are hundreds of highly skilled men idle in the district.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - PERMANENT EMPLOYEES AT HAULBOWLINE.
No permanently employed men have recently been engaged at Haulbowline on work for outside firms. Facilities were given to the Queenstown Dry Docks Company last month for the docking of a vessel for the purpose of changing her propellor, the conditions being that the Company should pay for any work done in pumping and making ready the dock and that all work on the ship should be done by men employed by the Company. These conditions have been adhered to.
The Office of Public Works have no knowledge of Haulbowline divers being employed for the British at Spike Island. The Department of Public Works is charged with the maintenance of the water pipes between Haulbowline and Spike Island, and the divers referred to may have been engaged on this work.