asked the Minister for Labour if he has given consideration to a review of the subsidy programme for employment, and if he is satisfied with the progress to date of youth employment schemes.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Youth Employment.
4.
I am assuming that the Deputy is referring in the first part of his question to the employment incentive scheme and the employment maintenance scheme. As I already indicated in my reply to a previous question, I am at present involved in an overall review of manpower policy. An examination of these two schemes forms part of this review. The recent favourable decision reached in regard to the use of the European Social Fund to stimulate youth employment is also relevant to this review.
Despite some difficulties which arose in the early stages, I am confident that the youth employment programme will meet the targets set for it by the Government for 1978.
What is the average life of the new jobs created in the youth employment area?
I may not be able to give the Deputy the breakdown of the average life but I should like to give him some of the figures that are available in relation to the youth employment schemes as an indication of the Government's commitment to aid youth employment. On the environmental schemes, the number of young persons in employment at the end of October was 1,935. As of last Friday, the number of people employed in the work experience programme was in excess of 1,300. In addition to that, a census of the Ballyfermot area to highlight the problems of that area has given short-term employment to young people. As well as that, additional employment in the local authority sector encouraged by the employment action team and their survey of that time led to the employment by the end of October of about 60 extra apprentices. In the community youth training programme the throughput from January to October, the latest date for which figures are available, was 1,561, representing an increase of approximately 100 per cent over the same period for 1977.
Would the Minister agree that it is not helpful to include in job creation figures for this year jobs created in the youth sphere, the duration of which may be as short a period as two months? Would the Minister agree that it is unhelpful to include these figures in the general aggregate of new jobs created this year?
In the general aggregate of new jobs created there was always a difference between the permanent employment created through the various efforts of the Government and the employment created under the youth programmes. As the Deputy will appreciate, an important aspect of the youth employment programme is the training of young people and their induction into employment.
In relation to the Ballyfermot survey, would the Minister agree that the only benefit of the survey was to take 60 people off the unemployment register for six weeks?
That is not true.
It is true.
From the youth employment point of view, the training element of a young person and his work experience is of tremendous advantage and benefit.