asked the Minister for the Environment the county councils which have dismissed pensionable servants and other employees for the purpose of job sharing with unemployed persons; and if he has taken note of Labour Court Recommendation No. 9654 dated 3 May 1985.

67.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he will state, in respect of each county council for the year 1984, the number of servant grades who have been given employment for the first time in a period of massive unemployment on condition that they deprive themselves of protection under protective legislation and pension rights; and the county councils who have offered employment under such conditions.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 67 together.

The conditions of employment of the grades in question are within the discretion of local authorities and, accordingly, the information requested would not be available in my Department. I am, however, concerned at certain practices in relation to the employment of persons in those grades which have been brought to my notice and I have established a working party to make recommendations on the preparation of a uniform code of practice for security of employment in such grades. I am aware of the Labour Court Recommendation No. 9654 which will be taken into account by the working party.

68.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he will state, in respect of each county council, the number of: (a) pensionable servants; (b) non-pensionable servants; and (c) officers who were actually employed or on sick leave at the end of December 1983 and December 1984.

Set out in the following table is the information requested in so far as it is available in my Department in respect of 31 December 1983, the latest date for which such information is to hand. The information has been gathered from returns furnished by local authorities to my Department. There is no information in my Department as to the numbers of any of the categories listed who were on sick leave on 31 December 1983.

Following is the table.

Notes: Col. A. Includes full-time and part-time servants.

Col. B. Includes only those actually paying superannuation contributions on the date in question. N/R signifies no return submitted by the local authority.

Col. C. Includes permanent and temporary officers.