asked the Minister for Education why all technical staff employed by vocational education committees are employed as servant grade when the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1926, section 2 (b) states that all employees with professional or technical qualifications must be employed in the officer grade.

It is desired to point out that section 26 of the Local Government Act (No. 9 of 1955) amended section 2 of the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1926, (No. 39 of 1926) by, inter alia, the deletion of “or technical” in that paragraph. Accordingly, it is not correct to say that section 2 (b) of the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1926, states that all employees with technical qualifications must be employed in the officer grade.