asked the Minister for Labour if he will consider expanding the AnCO centre in Wexford to cater for apprenticeship courses.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wexford AnCO Centre.
17.
The existing training capacity in the AnCO Centre in Waterford and the proposed capacity in a new centre which is planned for Carlow in the next few years will be sufficient to cater for the skills requirements of the south east region, including Wexford. The Waterford centre provides 11 different apprentice courses and 12 such courses are planned for Carlow. In the circumstances AnCO do not propose to provide apprenticeship courses in the temporary centre in Wexford.
Is the Minister aware that there is no provision in County Wexford for apprenticeship courses, that the facilities available at Waterford are totally inadequate and that a large number of applicants from County Wexford for apprenticeship courses have been refused? As there is an adult training centre in Wexford would the Minister consider reviewing the situation with a view to providing more adult courses or with the long-term view of planning apprenticeship courses in Enniscorthy or Wexford?
The AnCO Training Centre in Wexford is a temporary one. It was opened in 1975. The courses being run there are employable skills courses and are run for unemployed people on a sponsored basis if requested by firms. These courses are welding, machine tools operative courses and general engineering for operatives. As I have said, the centres elsewhere in both Wexford and Carlow should be adequate for the region.
The Minister stated that the AnCO Training Centre in Carlow would be available in the next few years. I do not like the phrase "in a few years". Already a site has been purchased there and I would like the Minister to be more specific as to when the work would start on the AnCO Training Centre in Carlow.
A new 240 place centre is planned for Carlow which will be completed in 1985.
That is two years from now. It has now been delayed by two years, so there is a cut-back in the capital programme.
I am not aware of any change in the date.
(Interruptions.)