asked the Minister for Finance when he expects that negotiations in respect of the application for an increase of £1 per week for employees in public services generally will be finalised; and if, in order to expedite this matter, he will make it known that he is prepared to approve of the £1 per week increase.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wage Increases for Public Service Employees.
7.
The claim is at present being processed by the conciliation and arbitration machinery set up for the Civil Service. In these circumstances, I do not think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the matter.
Has the Minister anything to say about workers outside the ambit of the Civil Service whose claims are awaiting payment?
The Deputy would want to be more specific in his question.
Hospital workers, for example, when will they be paid?
Their claims are being processed.
But not through the Civil Service machinery. They have nothing to do with it.
If the Deputy wants information other than that for which the Minister is responsible, he should address his question to the appropriate Minister.
I want to state that the Minister for Finance is responsible.
Could the Minister say how it is that a reply about these matters cannot be obtained from the Department of Lands or from the Department of Finance, both of whom have manual employees who have made claims and who have so far not got any offer as to the £1 increase?
In relation to this specific question, a reply is about to be given.
There are people besides hospital workers, municipal employees, not covered by the Civil Service.
If the Deputy wants information about the claims of specific groups for which the Minister is not responsible, he should ask the appropriate Minister.
This was said on the last occasion about the Minister for Health. We were told that the Minister for Finance is responsible.
The Minister responsible for the particular group is responsible for answering in these matters.
Would the Minister see if some effort could be made to get the Department of Lands to make an offer or even to reply to the claim? No reply has been received from that Department or from the Department of Defence, for that matter, about claims by manual workers.
That is a matter for the individual Ministers.
The Minister for Lands says he is not responsible and that the payment of the claim has to be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance. The Minister for Defence need not grumble in his whiskers.
I did not say anything.