asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the present position regarding the efforts made to resolve the unrest among non-professional staff of the IIRS, Ballymun, Dublin, who have been excluded from the marriage and children's allowance scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Institute for Industrial Research and Standards.
5.
I have no function in regard to the pay and conditions of service of employees of the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards other than in the case of the Director-General and Deputy Director-General.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary inform the House if the Minister or someone on his behalf conveyed to the workers in question about one-and-a-half years ago that the children's allowance scheme which applied to the salaried staff would also apply to them?
I do not think the Minister would have conveyed any such information to the staff in question, because the terms of employment of the staff are a matter for the institute, not for the Minister.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the Minister has already answered a question on this matter, where he indicated an interest?
He has an interest in the matter in his capacity as Deputy for the North County Dublin constituency. Many of the people involved are from his constituency and he may have met them in that capacity. However, as Minister for Industry and Commerce he has not the authority, nor did he give any undertaking, in relation to the terms of employment, which are a matter for the institute.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary accept that it is a rather inequitable mix for an agency for which the Minister is responsible to have a situation where some workers enjoy certain facilities while other workers, in whom Deputy Desmond and others are so interested, do not enjoy the same facilities?
Having regard to what I said previously in relation to the Minister's responsibility in this matter, I should prefer not to get involved in any discussion as to the equity or otherwise of the terms of employment. However, I can tell the Deputy that there have been two hearings of the Labour Court in relation to this matter and that another Labour Court hearing is to be held on 16th July. In the circumstances I am sure the Deputy will agree it would be invidious for me to get involved in any discussion of this matter.
I accept what the Parliamentary Secretary has said. I would ask that the Minister would indicate his concern that the facilities that apply to the white-collar workers should also apply to the blue-collar workers.
I have indicated the constraints which exist on the Minister in this matter.