(Limerick East): asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the exclusion of CIE salaried staff from the full protection of the Social Welfare Acts, he will state whether any steps have been taken to provide them with unemployment benefit in the event of CIE dispensing with their services.

(Mayo West): The employees concerned are permanent and pensionable employees of CIE and it is because of the permanent nature of their employment that they are insured for social welfare purposes at a modified rate which does not confer entitlement to unemployment benefit. The question asked by the Deputy is a hypothetical one and in the unlikely event of the question posed arising it will be dealt with at that time.

(Limerick East): Is the Minister aware that in a recent Labour Court directive CIE were instructed to treat all their employees equally in regard to the issuing of redundancy notices? Is he aware also that what was unlikely to arise for the salaried staff prior to the issue of this directive is now very likely and that during a recent industrial dispute notices of lay-offs were prepared for the salaried staff. Therefore, they no longer have the protection which the Minister in his reply suggests they have? On foot of the information I am giving him now, would he investigate the situation further?

(Mayo West): This matter was taken up by the Minister for Labour in the last Government and by way of reply on 11 February 1982 he pointed out to CIE that he had informed the association that in the event of the salaried staff being laid off the equivalent of social welfare benefits would be paid.

(Limerick East): Did the Minister say that the former Minister gave that reply on 11 February?

(Mayo West): Yes. The Minister, by way of reply on 11 February 1982, pointed out that CIE in their letter of 4 January 1982 had informed the association that in the event of salaried staff being laid off the equivalent of social welfare benefits would be paid.