asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will state in respect of the employees of his Department the grade and the number in each such grade who are not covered by sick pay or superannuation schemes.

As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate it in the Official Report.

I take it from the reply that there are some people who are not covered by sick pay. May I ask the Minister if he will as Minister responsible for Agriculture and Fisheries have some little more regard for the employees of his Department than other Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries have shown so far in this matter?

I do not expect him to comment on that in the circumstances.

Following is the statement:

(a) Casual or part-time employees.

(b)(c) As a result of confined Civil Service Commission Competitions, 68 of the officers at (b) and 101 of the officers at (c) will be established in the near future.

NOTE:—An unestablished employee although not entitled to a pension under the Super annuation Acts can qualify for a gratuity on retirement on age or health grounds provided he has served for a prescribed minimum period.