asked the Minister for Labour the number of persons trained by his Department for work on oil exploration rigs; or the plans he has for such training.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Oil Exploration Rigs.
24.
AnCO already provide training courses which are suitable for occupations—both offshore and onshore—which are associated with the oil industry, for example process operators, instrument mechanics, coded welders, electricians and fitters.
AnCO are now preparing for the implementation of courses for deck trainees, instrument technicians, pipe fitters and for an expansion of the course for coded welders.
Could I ask the Minister—sorry, I do not want to embarrass him further.
That beautiful picture of the Deputy side by side with his old friend Deputy Haughey is charming.
Is that relevant to the reply?
(Interruptions.)
Let us get on.
We sat beside each other at school.
Is this a smoke screen?
A supplementary question, please.
A Deputy
On a point of order, it has been a practice here in recent weeks that we have been told on occasions not to speak while seated, and yet when Ministers finish replying they remain on their feet. There are two people on their feet then, the man asking the supplementary question and the Minister, so it is not easy to know when a Minister has finished replying.
Order.
He should sit down. Is there order or not, or is it order for this week?
There is order. The Deputy ought to maintain order. Is the Minister replying? Question Time is almost finished anyway. A final supplementary.
How could I be finished? I did not get a chance of asking the first supplementary.
The time for questions is nearly exhausted.
I am sorry; it is the Minister with his allegations across the House who wasted time. May I ask the Minister how many people have been trained by AnCO to work in the oil rigs presently operating off our coasts; what is the total number of people he expects to be employed in such rigs during this summer working off our coasts, and what percentage of that work force he expects to be drawn from Irish nationals?
The Deputy will appreciate that his question asks what training courses are provided. If the Deputy wants I shall discover further from the training authority how many of their trainees have, in fact, succeeded in getting employment. I can find that out for the Deputy. I do not have it under the question asked by the Deputy.
May I ask the Minister if he has read the question? Obviously he has not. The question specifically asks the number of persons —it made no reference to courses— trained by his Department for work on oil exploration rigs. Is it not obvious that the Minister is not even reading the questions put down to him? Could I ask the Minister further if he is not aware that there is a further oil rig coming in to work off our shores and that we have no skilled men within our own work force to take their place there other than deck hands and so on and it is on the Minister's head?
I understand the Deputy asked how many in fact had found employment in these oil rigs. That question has not been asked by the Deputy. He asked how many had been trained. I gave the occupations for which training is available. If the Deputy is interested in the question of the work they have found or will find in these rigs we can discover that for him. On the number of people trained I can give his supplementary information that for instrument mechanic 100 have been trained since 1973; for process operator 120 have been trained since May, 1975. There are 20 at present on the course for coded welders. That is the area of numbers. In the terms of how many will find employment on these rigs I do not have that information.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
Could I ask the Minister a final supplementary question?
A final supplementary question.
It is time somebody around this House——
Order. A final supplementary question.
Could I ask the Minister when training these personnel what advice or guidance was sought from any of those exploration companies as to what kind of personnel or what trades were required on those rigs, what liaison there was, what information was sought from these exploration companies as to the type of employment available on these rigs? Are we training people for jobs which do not exist?
Order. Next business. The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
On a point of order, an Ceann Comhairle did allow me the opportunity——
I gave the Deputy every facility and he abused it.
I am sorry if I abused it. I apologise to the Chair.