asked the Minister for Labour whether he is satisfied with the reasons the Youth Employment Agency rejected proposals to set up an ESB youth trust in connection with the scheme for the early payment of electricity bills; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Youth Employment Agency.
I understand that no such proposals were made by the ESB to the Youth Employment Agency, and that an official ESB disclaimer of the Deputy's claim was carried in the news media.
374.
asked the Minister for Labour if any new projects have been undertaken by the Youth Employment Agency; and the numbers employed in each case.
The Youth Employment Agency was established in March 1982. Since its establishment the agency has provided funding to enable a wide range of new projects to be undertaken. A list of these projects up to end May 1983, their duration and average number of places for duration follows. The projects relate to a number of areas of intervention; e.g. temporary employment; training, programmes for disadvantaged; enterprise development; job creation potential; community managed programme; schools-industry links.
Project |
Project Duration |
Average No. of places for duration |
Temporary Employment |
||
1. Udarás na Gaeltachta Services Survey |
15 weeks |
7 |
2. Kilkenny Social Services Home Helps |
18 months |
6 |
3. Connemara West Ltd. |
||
Workshops |
3 years |
15 |
4. Crettyard Development Association |
4 months |
4 |
5. Tallaght Welfare Society Pre-Employment Course |
26 weeks |
20 |
Training |
||
6. North-Western Health Board Nurse Training |
9 months |
27 |
7. AnCO Secretarial Course |
3 months |
250 |
8. ACOT Certificate in Farming |
4 years |
1,500 |
9. Killary Fish Farmers Co-op Society Ltd. Mariculture Training |
2 years |
15 |
10. St. Vincent's Day Centre |
||
Workshop Training |
40 weeks |
11 |
11. Candle Community Training Workshop |
6 months |
6 |
12. North-West Centre for Learning and Development (Derry) |
||
Donegal Trainees |
1 year |
2 |
Programmes for Disadvantaged |
||
13. Youth Development Project, Thurles |
1 year |
20 |
14. Dublin Institute for Adult Education Action Research Programme |
4 years |
48 |
15. Limerick Youth Services Community Workshop |
1 year |
25 |
16. Carrick-on-Shannon Craft Training Scheme for Travellers |
20 weeks |
6 |
17. Kilkenny Social Services Council Community Workshop |
1 year |
42 |
18. Dublin Committee for Travelling People Work Programmes |
1 year |
19 |
Enterprise Development |
||
19. Irish Productivity Centre Youth Enterprise Nursery |
2 years |
50 |
20. Youth Enterprises Shannon Co-operative Enterprises |
18 months |
30 |
21. Waterford Resource Centre Co-operative Enterprises |
Programme being finalised |
|
22. Offices and Secretarial Services Co-op Pearse St. |
Programme being finalised |
|
23. Hope Finglas Project |
9 months |
4 |
24. Tipperary Town Community Council Wood-wool Enterprise |
Programme being finalised |
|
25. Westland Row/City Quay Catering Co-op |
1 year |
8 |
26. “Out” Magazine Community and Entertainment Guide |
6 months |
4 |
27. City of Dublin VEC Project/Product Development Centre |
Programme being finalised |
|
28. Remedial Aids Project |
1 year |
1 |
29. Pottery Manufacture Project |
1 year |
1 |
30. North Inner City Co-op Furniture, Upholstery, Metalwork |
1 year |
18 |
31. Day Nursery Project |
1 year |
1 |
32. Bicycle Repairs Project |
1 year |
1 |
33. Mullinavat Co-op Fruit, Wood |
6 months |
7 |
34. Togher Community Association Manufacturing of Workwear/Gowns |
1 year |
12 |
35. Dundalk Agriculture & Industrial Co-op Society Ltd. Craft Goods |
6 months |
11 |
36. NBST/IIRS Young Scientists/Technologist Employment Scheme |
1 year |
80 |
37. National Co-op Farm Relief Services |
1 year |
20 |
39. South City Co-op Cork |
1 year |
15 |
40. Horticultural Co-op, All-Hallows |
1 year |
5 |
41. Irish Goods Council Employment of Market Personnel |
1 year |
50 |
Community Managed Programme |
||
42. Mayfield Community, Cork |
1 year |
200 |
Schools-Industry Links |
||
43. Finglas Career Development Programme |
10 weeks |
100 |
Apart from individual projects the agency has also grant-aided a number of organisations which may have a spin-off effect for employment at a later stage, as follows:
1. St. Kiernan's Enterprise Centre |
Capital Grant |
2. Fr. Matthew Youth Club —New Centre |
Capital Grant |
3. Darndale Community — New Workshop |
Capital Grant |
4. National Council for Travelling People — Upgrading Centres |
Capital Grant |
5. St. Michael's House |
Capital Grant |
In addition, as I indicated in replies to other questions, the agency in 1982 provided funds to local authorities through the Department of the Environment for the full time employment of young persons on environmental improvement works. The agency also provided funds through the temporary youth employment scheme, then administered by the Department of Education, for the full-time employment of young people on community works. The allocation of funds in both these cases were additional to the funds received by the bodies in question direct from the Department of Labour Vote. It is estimated that approximately 1,500 and 500 young persons respectively were employed.
I should emphasise that the Youth Employment Agency does not, as a general rule, directly undertake employment creating projects but supports projects developed by industry, local authorities, voluntary and community bodies and individuals.
The agency is also involved in the development of a number of long-term programmes at national level e.g. the community and youth enterprise programme, a community managed integrated programme and a loan guarantee scheme for young enterpreneurs. It is too early to quantify the effects of these programmes.
The figures which I have given relate only to programmes for youth generated as a result of direct financing by the agency. They do not take account of the expansion in training, work experience and employment programmes for youth financed directly from the Department of Labour Vote.
375.
asked the Minister for Labour the programmes that have been drawn up by the Youth Employment Agency for 1983 using the balance of funds available to them.
Following are the programmes which the Youth Employment Agency are supporting or carrying out or intend, at this stage, supporting or carrying out in 1983. An estimate of expenditure is also given.
Training |
|
ACOT — Certificate in Farming Programme |
£1m |
Community Workshops — Community Training for Disadvantaged Groups |
£0.7m |
The question of expenditure on other training programmes is at present under consideration. |
|
Job Creation |
|
Short-term employment creation for the young unemployed (mainly to cover the youth element in the Employment Incentive Scheme for the hotel and catering industry and increased participation in the Work Experience Programme and the Environmental Works (Youth Employment Scheme) |
£3.3m |
Community and Youth Enterprise Programme — the employment of community enterprise workers by community groups with potentially viable projects to aid in bringing projects to fruition |
£1m |
Projects and Resource Centres including the provision of back-up resources for young people starting their own enterprises |
£3m |
Individual job creation — funds to enable young people who have been unemployed for some time to invest a project which would give them full-time employment |
£1m |
Specialist Personnel |
|
Placement of young technical and engineering personnel in small firms to help bridge the “experience gap”. |
£0.7m |
Educational Projects |
|
School-Industry Links Scheme. |
£0.3m |
The above figures do not include a provision for overheads, i.e. the agency's administrative costs.
The agency are at present engaged in a mid-year review of their operations and the outcome may have a bearing on the above estimates.
376.
asked the Minister for Labour the new plans the Youth Employment Agency have for the creation of employment and training programmes for young people for 1983 and future years.
In my reply to the Deputy's Question No. 375, I indicated the programmes which the Youth Employment Agency are implementing or, at this stage, envisage implementing in 1983 in the area of employment and training, together with the proposed expenditure in respect of each programme.
Under Article 70 of their Articles of Association, the Agency are required, before the commencement of each year, to submit their proposed programme of operations for that year for the approval of the Minister for Labour. As the proposed activities of the agency are, therefore, approved on a yearly basis, the Deputy will appreciate that the information he seeks for years subsequent to 1983 is not available.
I should, however, like to draw the Deputy's attention to the policy statement entitled "A Policy Framework for the Eighties" which has been published by the agency. This document contains some of the main features of the context within which the agency will be working over this decade, together with the main policy directions which the agency will follow in the light of those considerations.