asked the Minister for Lands if he will state in respect of each forest in County Donegal at which a lay-off occurred or a redundancy notice was issued in 1971 (a) the number of contractors employed by the Department operating machinery on forest lands or felling trees on forest land and (b) the number of contractors' employees.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Forestry Redundancies.
14.
The reply is in the form of a tabular statement which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
DONEGAL
|
List of Forests |
Number and type of machines hired during 1971 |
|
Ballybofey |
1. Poclain T.C. 45 |
|
Ballyshannon |
1. Tractor and digger |
|
Lettercran |
1. Case Digger |
|
Kilcar |
1. J.C.B. 3C |
|
Kilmacrennan |
1. Bulldozer |
|
Meenirroy |
1. Digger |
|
Mulroy |
2. Diggers |
Normally each hired machine has one operator. Timber is normally sold standing and the Department has no record of the arrangements made for felling by the purchaser nor of the number of employees working for him or for any sub-contractor engaged by him.
Can the Minister say whether it is the policy of the Department to lay off their own employees and to replace them by employing contractors' employees? Does the Minister agree with that policy?
The Deputy raised this and I did not reply to him yesterday. I am sending him a note on this situation.
Thank you.
15.
asked the Minister for Lands if he will state, in respect of each forest in County Donegal, where lay-offs occurred or redundancy notices (RP. 1) were issued in cases where contractors or contractors' employees from outside the State were employed.
Contractors or contractors' employees from outside the State were not employed by my Department at any of the forests in County Donegal where lay-offs occurred or redundancy RP. 1 notices were issued.
I have assumed that the Deputy is referring to persons who contract to supply machinery or materials and that his question does not extend to purchasers of timber. The Deputy will be aware that timber is purchased in County Donegal forests from time to time by firms from across the Border but the Department would not have information as to the localities from which such firms draw their labour.
I have no objection to selling timber to firms across the Border, but I object if subsidised machinery is taken across the Border with the result that people on this side of the Border lose their employment.
That has not happened to our knowledge.
Could the Minister say if it happened at any forest? He said specifically that it did not happen at any forest where there was a lay-off.
There was one tender from an address in or near Raphoe and the tenderer lived in Newtownstewart.
Was it accepted?
That is right. The tender was made from an address in Raphoe. Perhaps that is the case the Deputy has in mind.
16.
asked the Minister for Lands if he will state in respect of each forest in Counties Donegal, Cork and Tipperary (a) the number of notices of proposed dismissal for redundancy (RP. 1) issued since 1st April, 1971; (b) the number of such notices current at present; and (c) the number proposed to be withdrawn as a result of the announced increased financial allocation for forestry purposes.
The reply is in the form of a tabular statement which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
|
County |
Forest |
Number of notices of proposed dismissal for redundancy (RP. 1) issued since 1 April, 1971 |
Number of such notices current at present |
|
Cork |
Bandon |
1 |
— |
|
Banteer |
2 |
— |
|
|
Ballyhoura |
2 |
— |
|
|
Ballyvourney |
3 |
— |
|
|
Duhallow |
— |
— |
|
|
Dunmanway |
4 |
— |
|
|
Glengarriff |
2 |
— |
|
|
Gougane Barra |
1 |
— |
|
|
Inchigeelagh |
3 |
— |
|
|
Killavullen |
1 |
— |
|
|
Killeagh |
— |
— |
|
|
Kilworth |
— |
— |
|
|
Kinnalea |
2 |
— |
|
|
Lisgoold |
2 |
— |
|
|
Mullaghareirk |
1 |
— |
|
|
Muskerry |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Rathduff |
1 |
— |
|
|
Rosscarbery |
4 |
— |
|
|
Donegal |
Ballybofey |
1 |
— |
|
Ballyshannon |
1 |
— |
|
|
Barnesmore |
— |
— |
|
|
Buncrana |
— |
— |
|
|
Gweebarra |
8 |
— |
|
|
Gweedore |
— |
— |
|
|
Kilcar |
7 |
— |
|
|
Kilmacrennan |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Lettercran |
2 |
— |
|
|
Meenirroy |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Mulroy |
4 |
2 |
|
|
Pettigo |
2 |
— |
|
|
Raphoe |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Reelan |
— |
— |
|
|
Stranorlar |
2 |
— |
|
|
Tipperary |
Anner |
— |
— |
|
Bansha |
— |
— |
|
|
Carrick-on-Suir |
— |
— |
|
|
Dundrum |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Glen of Aherlow |
4 |
4 |
|
|
Glengarra |
4 |
— |
|
|
Kilsheelan |
— |
— |
|
|
Templemore |
— |
— |
|
|
Urlingford |
— |
— |
In regard to part (c) of the Deputy's question, programmes of work in the individual forests are at present undergoing review to implement the increase in planting acreage arising from the increased financial allocation for forestry purposes announced last week. It will be some time before staff quotas are fully revised and revision will of course have to take account also of other changes, upward and downward, in work volume at the various Forests.