asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state (a) what remuneration and allowances are paid to each of the members of the Agricultural Wages Board; (b) how often this board meets each year; and (c) on what basis the workers' members are appointed by him.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Agricultural Wages Board.
(a) The chairman of the Agricultural Wages Board, who receives a salary of £750 a year, inclusive, is the only member of the board in receipt of salary. Each member of the board is entitled to travelling and subsistence allowances at appropriate rates and the workers' representatives receive, in addition, compensation for loss of wages. (b) Normally the board meets about six times each year, but owing to transport difficulties they met only four times a year, on the average, during the emergency. (c) The workers' members are nominated by me in accordance with sub-section (4) of Section 5 of the Agricultural Wages Act, 1936.
I should like to know why the Minister did not appoint a worker's representative from Wexford on this board to represent agricultural workers seeing that he put a Fianna Fáil employer on the board to represent farmers?
There are Twenty-Six Counties and I could only appoint four representatives.
Wicklow has the only representative.
That happens to be true.
Does the Minister not consider that Wexford should have a workers' representative on that board?