asked the Minister for Health whether he is aware that there is great difficulty in recruiting sufficient nurses for the county hospital at Castlebar; and whether he has received any proposals from Mayo County Council which might help in remedying the position.

I am aware that, due to the recent expansion of services at Castlebar County Hospital, resulting in a considerable increase of the nursing complement, there has been some difficulty in recruiting enough additional nurses.

On 2nd instant I received proposals for agreement to a departure from the normal practice as regards salary on recruitment. I have agreed to a proposal that nurses accepting permanent appointment might be permitted to enter the salary scale at a point not more than five increments above the minimum, according to experience.

I have agreed to a proposal that married women, who, of course, are ineligible for permanent appointment, might on appointment, according to experience, be paid at a rate up to the third incremental point on the scale for permanent officers provided they undertake to serve for a minimum period of six months.

I have been unable to agree to a proposal that unmarried nurses appointed in a temporary capacity should be paid more than the minimum of the salary scale for permanent nurses; but I have asked the health authority to restrict to a minimum the number of posts retained as temporary posts and in that connection to take account of prospective resignations and retirements of permanent nurses.