asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he is aware of the low wages of county council workers, mental hospital staffs, and other employees of local authorities, and the hardship imposed on such workers by the steep increase in the cost of living, as revealed by the latest official index figure; and, whether, in view of the fact that this situation has resulted in an amendment of Emergency Powers (No. 260) Order, 1943, so as to increase the permitted maximum payable by way of a Bonus Order to 10/- per week, he now proposes to issue a further Order to county managers and local authorities to enable them to recommend payment of a bonus to the workers under their control equal to that which is provided for under the Emergency Powers (No. 260) Order, 1943.

The matter is primarily one for the local authorities, who will no doubt have regard to the capacity of the ratepayers to meet further increases, and have regard also to the wages payable to agricultural workers.

The point of the question, which the Minister does not seem to have answered, is that recently the Minister for Industry and Commerce found it necessary to make a further amendment of Emergency Powers Order No. 260 and, in order that a local authority may be able to put before the Minister for Local Government for sanction a proposal for a bonus or increase to meet that new situation, I should like to know from the Minister if he is prepared to give his approval to such a recommendation? Has the Minister made an Order or is he going to make an Order to that effect?

I have made no Order and never issued any Order in relation to matters of this kind. The matter is one primarily for the local authorities. They may take action——

How can the Minister say that in the light of——?

When the Minister has concluded, the Deputy may put his supplementary question.

I say the matter is primarily one for the local authorities who, no doubt, will consider it in the light of the conditions which I have mentioned in my reply.

How can the Minister say that, in view of the fact that various councils all over the country have sent up unanimous requests to the Minister to sanction certain increases? In one particular case there was an increase of 3/- asked for and the Minister would only sanction 1/-.

Is it not true that, in the City and County of Dublin, the Manager and the trade unions agreed to suggest to the Minister that he should approve of an increase of 7/- per week and that the Minister decided he would only allow an increase of 3/-?

I think Deputies are raising quite a different matter. I have stated that the question of proposing an increase in wages or remuneration of any employees is primarily one for the local authorities. When their proposals come to me, they will be considered and sanctioned, or sanction given for a modification of the proposals, if necessary.