Could the Minister say what classes of people are in permanent employment? Are there any persons doing manual labour who are in permanent employment of the board or do the permanent employees consist entirely of the administrative staffs?
Turf Development Bill, 1953—Committee and Final Stages.
Sections 1 to 5, inclusive, agreed to.
SECTION 6.
Question proposed: "That Section 6 stand part of the Bill."
It could cover persons other than the administrative staffs. The section is an enabling section and it is for the board to consider, in conjunction with representatives of the staff, the scope of any superannuation scheme which it may wish to bring into operation and then to make its proposals in that regard to the Minister for approval by him.
It is limited to permanent employees?
It is, yes.
Are there any permanent employees in the turf-cutting class?
Yes. Approximately half the workers employed by the board during the course of the year would be permanent employees, and, as the Senator knows, the board are building houses to accommodate their permanent employees.
That means that the scheme will probably apply to these?
Yes, it probably will.
Is that the intention?
So far as I am concerned, I would wish to see the scheme extended to everybody making the work of Bord na Móna his career, no matter what the class of that work. I do not want to say anything which would appear to bind the board now in its proposals in relation to the scheme, but that would be my wish.
That is a very important point, especially in view of the apparent difficulties the board has in obtaining adequate labour. That is another question which I do not want to go into at the moment, but it is beyond me why it should be so, considering that we appear to have so many people in the country doing nothing. It is now possible for local authorities to provide after retirement for men who work on the roads for a certain period of their lives, I think it should be the aim of the board to extend this scheme so that it would embrace people who would be regarded as being in permanent employment. I think it would be a great encouragement to workmen. I would say that in so far as the Minister encourages that, he is doing something to make the whole scheme more secure.
I am in complete agreement with those views.
In view of the statement made by the Minister, I think it is perfectly clear now that employment in Bord na Móna is going to be very, very attractive and, as Senator Baxter said, it should lead to their having very little trouble in securing sufficient employees to carry on the work they have undertaken.
It may attract some of these people in Dublin for instance.
Question put and agreed to.
Sections 7 and 8, inclusive, agreed to.
Title agreed to.
Bill reported without amendment.
Agreed to take the remaining stages now.
Question—"That the Bill be received for final consideration"—put and agreed to.
Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."
On the Fifth Stage I should like to mention a suggestion which I made early last year, on the Electricity Act of 1952, that members of the Seanad might visit Bord na Móna bogs to see the nature of the activities carried on there. I was reminded of the matter on the Second Reading and, since then, I have contacted the board and they informed me that they would be very glad to arrange for an excursion for members of the Seanad at any convenient time. Perhaps, the Whips of the different sections might get together and see what could be arranged in that regard.
Excellent!
Question put and agreed to.