asked the Taoiseach the number of unemployed persons between the ages of fourteen and sixteen years in the City of Dublin area as at mid-October 1961.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Young Persons Unemployed in Dublin.
4.
It is not possible to furnish the information required by the Deputy. Very few persons aged 14 or 15 years register at the local offices of the Department of Social Welfare.
Would the Taoiseach make arrangements to have a proper check made on this?
That would be an elaborate operation.
It may be but there is a tremendous number of children looking for assistance in that regard and there is nobody in contact with them.
I think it is possible that some information regarding the position as of April last will be available from the census.
That is only every five years. Would it not be desirable to have such information available every year?
I do not deny the desirability of having information, but the difficulty of procuring it and keeping it up to date should be obvious.
I see the difficulty but the Taoiseach will appreciate that these persons between the ages of 14 and 16 years—apprentices—are part of the labour force.
Would the obvious remedy not be to ensure that these children went to school?
The great majority of them do.
Seventy per cent. of them are voluntarily attending fulltime instruction.
I directed the attention of the Minister's predecessor to that fact.