HC Deb 24 May 1927 vol 206 cc1833-4
55. Mr. KELLY

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether the responsibility for the wages and conditions of the men engaged in the lighthouses and lightships off the coast of Ireland has yet been assumed by the Irish Free State?

Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER

I have been asked to reply. As I informed the hon. Member on the 3rd May, the present system of administration of the Lighthouse Service in the Irish Free State is, by consent of His Majesty's Governments in Great Britain and in the Irish Free State, still continued in being. Any proposals relating to wages and conditions of the men engaged in the Lighthouse Service in the Free State area, which are put forward by the Commissioners of Irish Lights and involve expenditure from the General Lighthouse Fund, are considered by both Governments in consultation.

Mr. KELLY

Are we to understand that any applications made by men in the lighthouses and on the light-vessels off the Irish coast must be presented to the Board of Trade?

Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER

I think they have to be presented, first of all, to the lighthouse authorities, and then they come forward with recommendations from the lighthouse authorities if they involve a charge on the general fund.

Mr. KELLY

Are the authorities referred to by the right hon. Gentleman Trinity House, or some lighthouse authority in Southern Ireland?

Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER

In cases where Trinity House has jurisdiction, it is Trinity House, and, in cases where the Irish Lights Commissioners have jurisdiction, the Irish Lights Commissioners.