asked the Minister for Finance if in relation to the various salary and wage increase demands he will state (a) whether the eighth round increase awards have been granted to all State servants; (b) whether these awards were based on increased national productivity; and (c) the relevant date from which the increases were granted to the various grades.

(a) Eighth round increases have been granted to the great majority of State servants. A revision of rates for some groups is not yet completed.

(b) The increases were largely determined, under conciliation and arbitration procedures, by increases granted to comparable groups in outside employment. I am not in a position to assess the various factors on which such increases were based.

(c) A large proportion of the increases have been granted from 1 November, 1961, but various dates have been applied in different cases, depending in certain instances on outside determinations having a direct bearing on settlements within the state service.

Has the Minister any proposal in his Department dealing with increases for forestry workers? They are employed in the State service, too.

That is not under my Department, so I cannot say.