asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state the cause of the delay of 11 months in sanctioning a superannuation allowance in the case of an officer of the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee who died recently and before sanction was given.

The officer referred to was paid a superannuation allowance based on his actual pensionable service of 16 years, from the date of his retirement. The proposal before the Department was to increase his superannuation allowance by the addition of 24 years on the grounds that he had a considerable number of years' service in a part-time capacity. The proposal necessitated an examination of records over a period of 40 years involving inter-departmental correspondence and correspondence with other educational authorities. The Vocational Education Committee were informed on the 10th May, 1949, that, subject to the passing of an amending resolution, I would be prepared to sanction a superannuation allowance based on ten added years.