I welcome the announcement made and the encouragement the Minister is prepared to give to this very laudable scheme. It does not appear to be implemented at Civil Service level. I know of a specific case which arose last week where a nurse in the Army Nursing Service sought a career break to enable her to nurse in North Africa for some years. She could not be given any guarantee that she could return to her post as soon as her stint of service abroad was over. Would the Minister be prepared to take up this matter and see to it that the feeling of the Cabinet percolates to the officials who deal with these cases?

I take it the person referred to is a member of the Defence Forces?

A member of the Army Nursing Service.

The scheme does not apply to the Defence Forces as such. If the person involved is a member of the Defence Forces that may have governed the case in question. There are other schemes which allow for leave on a special basis from time to time. There is provision within all these schemes whereby if someone is in a key post and their services are considered essential, local management have discretion to say that they cannot accept the request at that time. If the Deputy gives me the details of the case in question I will take it up for him.

8.