asked the Minister for Lands the present position regarding the need for a pension scheme for forestry workers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pension Scheme for Forestry Workers.
21.
Forestry workers are one of several analogous groups in casual employment in the public service, who are non-pensionable, and it would be clearly impracticable to single any one group out for special treatment in this regard.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary consider that men who in the main have been employed from ten to 30 years are in a casual group?
Evidently the situation is that there are other workers in other Departments working under the same conditions. It would not be possible or practical to make an arrangement in relation to one single group.
Surely the Parliamentary Secretary will agree that, if it has been the practice in other Departments to employ casual workers for short periods, that cannot be used as an argument for the Government not granting a pension scheme to people employed continuously over a long number of years, many of whom have spent all their working lives as forestry workers? Would the Parliamentary Secretary ask his Minister to have another look at this aspect of the case?