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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 20 Feb 1979

Vol. 311 No. 9

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Youth Unemployment Report.

19.

asked the Minister for Labour if he proposes to make available to the Dáil details of the report on youth unemployment among school leavers in Dublin, financed by AnCO and the Department of Labour, and which has been in his Department since last year; and the action he proposes to take arising out of the implications of that report.

The report referred to in the question "A Study of Youth Employment in North Central Dublin", the final draft of which became available in late July 1978 was published on 9 December 1978. Copies of the report are available on request from the Department and from AnCO. I have also arranged for copies to be available in the Dáil Library.

I was, of course, well aware of the youth employment situation in North Central Dublin before the report referred to was prepared.

Young persons in the area can benefit from the various schemes introduced by the Government, such as the employment incentive scheme, environmental improvement schemes, the community youth training programme and the work experience programme aimed at helping young persons find suitable employment or obtain work experience.

The Government recognise, however, that the problems being experienced in areas such as Dublin inner city call for special measures and policies which are the concern of a number of Departments and Government agencies. The Government established a high-level inter-departmental committee in July 1978 to examine the problems of the Dublin inner-city area and to make recommendations on measures necessary to deal with the special problems of the area. Copies of the report referred to in the question were made available to the committee who will also consult with statutory bodies operating in the area such as Dublin City Council and the Dublin Port and Docks Board. The Department of Labour are among the Departments represented on the committee.

In so far as my own responsibilities are concerned, AnCO's training centre at Beresford Place is located at the heart of the inner-city area. AnCO also have two special training units in operation since Autumn 1977 in Henrietta Street and Eccles Street. The courses conducted at Beresford Place training centre reflect the job opportunities in the inner-city area, but as the survey points out, many of the young unemployed in the inner-city are not able to avail of the training offered.

In an effort to redress this trend the council of AnCO have expanded their preparatory training programme to include three 24-place training units which will operate at selected locations in the inner-city area, the first of which will be in operation in May 1979.

The National Manpower Service has, during the past year, intensified its efforts locally to provide a special service for inner-city residents. Two placement officers were assigned full time to the district last year and arrangements are afoot to have an NMS clinic operating in the area itself.

I thank the Minister for making copies of the report available to Members subsequent to the tabling of the question and I wish the measures he has mentioned success. I should like to know if the Minister studied the tragic statistics of deprivation in the report?

We cannot discuss the report.

Is the Minister aware that 96.6 per cent of the young people in the area, employed or unemployed, take home less than £30 per week and that some 55.3 per cent of the men who had no jobs at the time of the compiling of the statistics never had a job? I should like to know if the Minister, in addition to the measures he has outlined, would be good enough to bring the maximum amount of pressure to bear on the IDA to channel into this area every possible job-creation potential that becomes available over the next few years as a special effort in view of the history of neglect in this part of the city?

I should like to thank the Deputy for his kind comments. I should like to repeat that I did not have to wait for the report to realise the serious situation that exists there. As far as the Department are concerned every step possible will be taken. I mentioned the increased NMS involvement in the area during the past year and at present two placement officers are working full time in the Dublin No. 1 postal district. There has been intensive canvassing for vacancies and, as a result, there has been a 25 per cent increase in the number of vacancies notified during 1978 as compared with 1977. The Deputy can rest assured that as far as my Department are concerned all possible steps will be taken to help the area. The Deputy mentioned the IDA but that is for another Minister. I shall pass the Deputy's comments on to that Minister.

Would the Minister agree that that report was commissioned during the term of office of the last Government and was directed to get us relevant information on how to deal with the problems of this area, neglected, as Deputy Keating said, for many years? Would the Minister agree that the moral of the report appears to be that short-term job proposals for the area are inadequate and that what is needed is a direction of industry into the area to match with the training centre which was placed there under the last administration? That would ensure that the area at least shared in some of the job expansion taking place.

I should like to tell the Deputy that I had this report reactivated because I felt it could make a worth-while contribution. The report, for some reason, had been allowed to die prior to my taking office. I should like to tell the Deputy that of the increased vacancies most of them were found to be in the services sector which indicates the inadequacy of manufacturing industry there. I am fully aware of that fact. In July 1978 a high level inter-departmental committee were set up and my Department are involved, as are the other economic Departments.

I should like to congratulate this administration on setting up the inter-departmental committee. From the file the Minister will see that I was not successful in my efforts to set up such a committee. It is a correct step.

It shows better co-operation.

I am glad the Minister has succeeded in overcoming the rivalry of other Departments in matters of this kind but what we need are sustainable long-term jobs and this requires a deliberate direction of industry into the area. We have a training centre but we must ensure that the people with the skills in the centre get jobs in the area.

I am sure the Deputy realises that there are other problems in existence in that area. The young people from the area do not appear to be attracted to the ordinary training centres and that is why the council of AnCO have decided to take in three separate induction units into the area to encourage people into the training centres. The first of those will be established in May next. At least I can say that progress is being made.

We need an industry also.

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