asked the Minister for Agriculture if his Department has had under consideration the inadequate rates of wages paid to the supervisors of cow testing associations, and if, in view of the fact that there has been no improvement in their financial position for more than ten years, he will make arrangements for the payment to them of a substantial bonus before the 31st March next.
Ceisteanna.—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wages of Cow Testing Supervisors.
The position is that supervisors of cow testing associations are employed by the associations and not by my Department. Their remuneration is derived from (a) members' contributions and (b) grants from my Department, which are considerably more than members' contributions. I do not propose to pay a bonus to supervisors but I would point out that, as each supervisor's remuneration is dependent upon the number of cows he has under test, an improvement in the remuneration could be obtained if the association would increase its membership and get more cows under test. In that case the Government grant, as well as members' contributions, would be increased and more money would be available to pay the supervisor.