Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 24 Mar 1998

Vol. 488 No. 7

Written Answers. - FÁS Training Schemes.

Conor Lenihan

Question:

73 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to change the mandate of FÁS to extend its training support to the services sector in addition to the manufacturing industry. [7025/98]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Miss Harney)

Section 4(1)(a) of the Labour Services Act, 1987, specifies that FÁS shall provide or arrange for, encourage and foster the provision of, training and retraining for employment and assist whether financially or otherwise in, and co-ordinate, the provision of such training by others. There is no statutory restriction on the provision of training support to any particular industry sector.

In practice, FÁS provides assistance under its training support scheme to a wide range of firms engaged in the manufacturing, internationally traded services, physical distribution, wholesale, retail and motor sectors as well as to non-manufacturing construction firms which trade internationally. In addition, the levy grant scheme funds training in the textiles, clothing and footwear, food, drink and tobacco, chemicals and allied products industries and in the electronics sector of the engineering industry.

The Deputy will be aware of the Government's intention to establish a new enterprise support agency to which it is proposed that appropriate elements of the FÁS services to industry division will transfer. The precise functions of the new agency have yet to be finalised.