asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider raising the wages of labourers on the Corrib drainage scheme in County Galway to bring them into line with the wages paid to the county council labourers.

Rural labourers employed on arterial drainage works throughout the country are paid at uniform rates which are not directly related to the wages of county council workers. It is not proposed to depart from this practice in the case of the Corrib-Clare drainage scheme.