asked the Minister for Defence if he will grant parity of pay and working conditions to the general dockyard workers at the Naval Base, Haulbowline, Cobh, County Cork with the general workers at Verolme Cork Dockyard, Cobh.

The pay and conditions of general workers at the Naval Dockyard, Haulbowline are related to those of general workers employed elsewhere by this Department and other Government Departments. A claim for a special increase in the pay of general workers employed in Government Departments —including such workers employed at the Naval Dockyard—was heard by the Labour Court on the 30th April, 1976. The Court have not yet issued a recommendation in the matter.

Question No. 16.

The Minister for Local Government is not here yet as he did not anticipate questions going through so quickly so, perhaps, with the permission of the House we could move on to Questions Nos. 22 and 23 and then revert to the Local Government questions?

On a point of order, will there be anybody here to answer the questions then?

The Minister will be here by then.

With the consent of the House we will take Nos. 22 and 23 now and then return to Local Government.

Might I suggest that the Minister is affected seriously by the debate which took place here yesterday on housing and that he has not succeeded in overcoming his problems since then?

Question No. 22.

On a point of order, there may be Deputies who are anxious to ask supplementary questions on these two questions and who have not anticipated our moving so quickly to this section of the Order Paper.

The Chair put it that with the consent of the House we were moving to these questions.