asked the Minister for Labour whether discussions with trade unions have taken place prior to the commencement in Britain of advertisement of jobs for emigrants; whether any discussion took place with employers; and whether there is any forecast in his Department of the number of emigrants needed to return home for jobs in the current year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Jobs for Emigrants.
14.
The answer to the first two parts of the question is yes. There are about 600 vacancies for skilled men and about 500 vacancies for female production workers. The advertisements are directed at people at home and in Britain, and until the response from both sources is known, it would not be possible to give a forecast of the number of vacancies likely to be filled by returning emigrants.
Would the Minister be able to offer any opinion as to whether or not the 60,000 odd unemployed here could be trained for the jobs which are now being offered to people working in Britain?
We have training facilities available, but I do not think Deputy Tully is so naïve as to expect that we are going to train a great many of the 60,000 on the employment register at the moment to become skilled operatives down at Shannon Airport or anywhere else. The fact remains that we are training and the advertisement in question can apply to skilled personnel at home as well as abroad.
Is the Minister telling the House that he, in fact, considers most of those who are signing on not trainable?
Absolutely.
In that case, we have 60,000 unemployable according to what the Minister says. Is that the attitude of the Government to the unemployed?
I did not say there were 60,000 unemployable. I said a very big section are not trainable to become skilled operatives.
How does the Minister know? He has never tried. The Minister knows damn well that he does not know.
This is just another gimmick and it is not a very nice one when there are so many unemployed.
(Interruptions.)
I would not like it to go out from the House that this is a gimmick. Training has been undertaken very seriously and the position has been checked and re-checked. It is a continuing effort to find skilled operatives where vacancies exist.
Would the Minister like it to go out from this House that most of the people on the register are unemployable because they cannot be trained? Does the Minister realise that that is what he said?
I said, and I repeat it, that a great many of the 60,000 odd on the live register are not trainable as the kind of skilled operatives for whom vacancies are available and the Deputy knows that perfectly well.
This is very important to the 50,000 to 60,000 unemployed.
I would, in fact, go so far as to say that there is no unemployed skilled man or woman in the country at the moment.
That is a lot of nonsense and the Minister should at least know that.