asked the Minister for Energy if he will furnish details of the applications made by Bord na Móna in 1979-80 and 1980-81 to the European Social Fund for grants-in-aid for expenditure on (a) the training of workers in the use or machinery who were previously employed in agriculture and (b) the retraining of general operatives in the use and development of harvesting machinery.
Written Answers. - Bord na Móna Workers' Training.
295.
Bord na Móna have informed me that they have not made any applications for assistance from the fund. The board operate their own on-the-job training schemes for machine operatives generally, including those who were previously employed in agriculture. The board are satisfied that this arrangement is best suited to their circumstances and that assistance from the European Social Fund would entail the formulation of more elaborate and more costly schemes than are necessary to meet the board's requirements.