asked the Minister for Labour if the leaflets on careers published by his Department include any leaflets on careers in agriculture; the number of such leaflets and their titles; and the total number of titles in the series.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Career Leaflets.
17.
The leaflets on careers published by my Department include seven leaflets on agriculture, two on horticulture and two leaflets on forestry. The following are the titles of these leaflets: Farm Manager, Instructor in Agriculture, Creamery Manager, Instructor in Farm Home Management, Buttermaker and Cheesemaker, Agricultural Officer, Assistant Agricultural Inspector, Instructor in Horticulture and Beekeeping, Horticulturist, Forester, Forestry Graduate.
The total number of career leaflets currently available from my Department is 253.
Is it not extraordinary that agriculture, which is our major industry, is represented by only seven career leaflets out of over 250? Does the Minister really think this is satisfactory?
There are others which are allied and related to agriculture as the Deputy will appreciate, for example, veterinary surgeon, zoological assistant, seed analyst, and careers in food science and technology. We constantly update these leaflets. In the case of the creamery managers, the leaflet is being updated at the moment. The title is being changed to "Careers in the Dairy Industry" because of the changing structure of the creameries as such. We are constantly working on new careers.
Is the Minister aware that in many areas of the country the shortage of skilled agricultural labour is very severe and that the wages being paid for that labour are fairly high? In the light of that situation perhaps he would undertake to have a look at the situation in order to determine whether further leaflets should be added to the series for the benefit of children, especially in rural areas.
It is my intention to keep the situation under review. The Deputy's suggestion will be borne in mind as will any other suggestion that may be put forward in respect of careers. It is our practice to make these leaflets available to schools. They are made available through the NMS offices and are updated every two years. They are publicly available for anyone who wishes to peruse them.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.