asked the Minister for Finance if he will state what prospects of salary increases can be held out to civil servants in the lower paid grades and if he will undertake that in the consideration of increases for civil servants priority of consideration will be given to those in the clerical or other analogous departmental grades.

I would refer the Deputy to the reply which I gave on 14th March, 1951, to a question from Deputy Pattison regarding review of Civil Service pay. Arising out of a request made by the staff side, an effort was made to reach a settlement of the pay claim by means of negotiation, but, as this effort has been unsuccessful, the claim is now being referred to arbitration.