asked the Minister for Defence (a) how many boilermen work in the boiler-room of the corvette, at what temperature they are working and the numbers of hours they must work before they are relieved; (b) what supply of fresh water is available on a corvette, how long it lasts and whether it is a fact that following seven days at sea no further fresh water is available for the men to wash or bathe and that men who have worked in the boiler-room at 100 degrees have only sufficient water after seven days at sea to wash their hands and faces; and (c) what sleeping accommodation is available on the functioning corvette and what type of accommodation it contains such as bunks, hammocks and couches.
Ceisteann—Questions. Oral Answers. - Corvette Boilermen.
103.
There are three stokers on watch in the boiler-room of a corvette at any one time and they work in an average temperature of 100º F. Stokers work on the basis of 4 hours on duty and 8 hours off duty like all other watchkeepers aboard.
(b) A corvette has a tank capacity for 2,912 gallons of fresh water and in addition can make 896 gallons per day from sea water. On this basis, allowing for a normal crew of 65 and assuming that the vessel did not take on additional fresh water for a seven day period the amount of water available per man per day for that period is 20 gallons approx. Fresh water is not used in the corvette for sanitary purposes. A corvette rarely goes more than seven days without taking on fresh water at one of the various ports where water is available for vessels around our coast. Fresh water in any ship is always a precious commodity and economy has to be exercised in its use.
(c) The operational corvette, L. E. "Maev" has sleeping accommodation for a total of 73 persons, 62 sleeping in bunks and 11 in hammocks.
May I ask the Minister if it is most unusual to have people working in a temperature of 100 degrees for four hours because I do not know if it is?
It depends on what the Deputy means by most unusual. Temperatures of this kind are not normal in other types of work but the Deputy will agree that the boiler-rooms of ships are different.
Is it normal, then, in the boiler-rooms of ships.
It is.
We are worse off in this House with the temperature at 75 degrees.
I did not think that Deputy Corish would compare this House to the boiler-room of a ship.
I said it is worse here.