asked the Minister for Local Government the progress, if any, that has been made regarding the establishment of a pension scheme for widows of local authority employees.

There has been a contributory widows' and orphans' pension scheme in force for local authority officers since July, 1968. Among the matters being considered by the working party which I set up to examine the local authority superannuation code are claims for the extension of such a scheme to other local authority workers. I have not yet received a report from the working party.

Is it not a fact that widows of servants of local authorities receive only a refund of the contributions made by their husbands when they become widows?

No, Sir, it is not.

Is the Minister not aware that this is what the servants of local authorities and their representatives say is the case?

No, it is not. Deputy Barrett is not correct.

Then the servants of local authorities are not correct in what they say?

They are, because I was a trade union official for 27 years and I was associated with those people. I know the local authorities superannuation code inside out and I never heard a representative of a local authority servant making the statement that Deputy Barrett has just made.

For the Minister's information, I was also on the National Executive of the Local Government Officials' Union.

The officers' union?

Yes, the officers' union, but the representatives of the servants of local authorities say this is the case, despite what the Minister says.

I am sorry, but if Deputy Barrett was told this he has been misinformed.

This is leading to argument.

If they have less than five years' service they are entitled to a refund if they retire, and if they die their widows are entitled only to a refund of the contributions.

Under five years?

Yes. At present the case for having this altered is being considered by the committee that are going into the matter. Many representations have been made and I should imagine this is a matter which will receive attention.

Is the Minister aware that these servants pay the highest rate of superannuation contribution within the EEC?

I would not be surprised when it was the Fianna Fáil Government who introduced it.

Is the Minister aware, despite his surprise, that they pay 4? per cent superannuation contribution, whereas the highest in any other EEC country is 3 per cent?

I argued against the high contributions in this House for many years but nobody would listen to me. I hope the fact that I have introduced this investigation is proof that I am aware of what is happening and that I hope to have the situation improved in the very near future.

Would the Minister say when this working party started work?

I gave the answer to that in a previous question. It was June of last year.

Is the Minister aware that the representatives of these people say it is sitting since 1975. They did not invent this.

I am afraid Deputy Barrett has been talking to very misinformed representatives of the workers and I suggest he should talk to somebody who knows something about the matter.

Is the Minister aware I have been speaking to a leading member of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union?

I want to go on to another question.

I suggest the Deputy should talk to his head office and they should be able to put him and the Deputy right.

If he is a representative of the union——

He would be most embarrassed if he found the Deputy quoting him here today, because I am quite sure he did not tell him any such thing.

Every statement I have made is absolute fact and there is no call for any of the Minister's innuendoes.