asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the number of days annual leave due to the air traffic control service staff to the end of January 1989; and the steps he intends to take to ensure that the staff is afforded an opportunity of taking this backlog of leave.
Written Answers. - Air Traffic Control Staff Leave.
17.
The number of days leave due to ATC staff as at the end of January amounts to 2,960 days. I must, of course, emphasise that, despite this backlog all ATC staff have had, on average, at least three weeks leave per annum over the past few years. Nevertheless, I regard the position in relation to annual leave for ATC staff as unsatisfactory, and negotiations are taking place with staff representatives, which I hope will resolve the difficulties.
The House will, I am sure, understand that it would not be appropriate for me to go into details here while these negotiations are in progress. I can, however, say that the resolution of the problem will involve a variety of measures including the recruitment of staff, the reorganisation of rostering arrangements, and the readjustment of annual leave regulations. The intention is to arrive at a situation where each officer can take his proper allocation of annual leave with the current backlog being eliminated over a period of three to four years.