asked the Minister for Labour the total amount of money collected under the youth employment levy since it was first introduced, the total number of permanent jobs created through the levy and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Youth Employment Levy.
1.
A total of £253.433 million had been collected under the youth employment levy up to the end of October 1985 since its introduction in April 1982. Under the Youth Employment Act, 1982 the proceeds of the levy may be used to fund the training and employment of young persons.
As a wide variety of programmes including AnCO, CERT and ACOT's training programmes, in addition to employment programmes such as the enterprise allowance scheme, marketplace and the scientist and technologist employment programme are funded from the levy it is not possible to say how many permanent jobs are created through the levy in any given year.
Would the Minister agree that it is extraordinary that we cannot get any figure for permanent jobs in the youth area? Does the Minister agree that the youth employment levy was widely acceptable to the taxpayers because they felt that the use of this special levy would provide jobs for young people? Is the Minister satisfied that it has fulfilled that purpose? In his reply the Minister referred to training and employment, can the Minister say how it has done in the employment field?
Nobody could be satisfied with the present state of affairs. We would like to see it improved dramatically. We have the highest percentage of young people in the labour force in any EC country and we have the lowest level of youth unemployment in the under 25 age group. There are many factors that bring that about. That objective measurement, by comparison with other EC countries suggests that the utilisation of the resources of the youth employment levy has been among the reasons for that statistic.
Will the Minister accept that the money to which he referred was already spent under other headings prior to the youth employment levy and that all that his Government did was to transfer the money collected from the youth employment levy to pay for existing schemes, that that is the reason he cannot indicate any employment level, and that the money has been wrongly used and not for the purpose agreed by the trade unions in the first instance?
I do not accept that. Some of the schemes that are currently being funded in part by the youth employment levy did not exist before 1982. There was a clear recommendation at the time from the board of the agency which represents the social partners, including youth organisations, as to how the funds should be allocated. They recognised, as did the detailed research of the YEA, done subsequently, that education and training are key components in ensuring that young people get employment and they recommended that substantial funds go into the various training programmes. On the basis of their recommendations the Government have made the allocations for YEA over the last number of years.
The Minister mentioned AnCO, Manpower and Cert. All of those agencies were formed years ago, in the sixties, so what additional schemes?
I also mentioned the enterprise allowance scheme, marketplace and the scientist and technologist employment programme.
How many people are employed in those areas for the amount of money that was collected in the youth employment levy?
If the Deputy wants to put down a question for that I will be happy to give him the information.
A Cheann Comhairle——
It is Deputy Mac Giolla's question. I gave Deputy Mac Giolla one question and Deputy Ahern two. I think it is reasonable that I go back to Deputy Mac Giolla.
The question belongs to the House and not to any Deputy.
You will agree, a Cheann Comhairle, that it is very difficult if you ask a question and get no reply to it. In view of the inability of the Minister to come up with a reply to my question with regard to permanent jobs, does he agree that the multiplicity of organisations as referred to by Deputy Ahern and the multiplicity of areas to which the youth employment levy was going have raised these questions about the appropriate use of the fund which might endanger the whole youth employment scheme? Does the Minister consider that the NESC report was as a result of this? Could he say what credence he gives to the recommendations of the NESC report?
Let me return to the question asked of me. If the Deputies put down specific questions to me I can supply additional information.
The question is about the amount collected and the jobs created.
In relation to the second part, I accept that the Deputies would like more specific information and I will try to make that available to them. I am not trying in any way to conceal information. However, the bottom line statistic should be recognised and it is as follows. Before the YEA were set up and since that time we can measure our relative performance against that of other EC countries. While we have the highest percentage of young people in the labour force we have the lowest percentage of youth unemployment. We have the most active employment creation measures for young people of any of the states in the EC. I do not want in any way to give the impression to this House that we are satisfied with the current levels of achievement, but the comparison indicates that we have been successful compared to our EC counterparts, and the funding for that success has come substantially from the youth employment levy.
I am moving on to the next question.
Would the Minister agree that £253 million is an enormous sum of money by our standards and that this sum of money has been raised from the taxpayer for one specific purpose, that was, as my collegue has pointed out, to create jobs for young people, and that here in this House today after that £253 million has been raised and spent the Minister cannot point to one single permanent job created as a result?
I do not accept that. I have already given an extensive reply. If the Deputies wish to put down detailed questions—because they are aware as other Deputies are not of the range of the thing —I can give the precise statistical information if they want it.