Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 22 Mar 1983

Vol. 341 No. 3

Ceisteanna—Questions . Oral Answers . - Unemployed Apprentices .

12.

Mr. Gene Fitzgerald

asked the Minister for Labour the number of apprentices at present unemployed; and the skills to which they are apprenticed.

Mr. G. Birmingham

: As the reply sought is in the nature of a tabular statement I propose to circulate it with the Official Report.

Following is the statement:

Unemployed apprentices as per AnCO's register dated 31 January, 1983.

Furniture:
Woodfinisher	1
Cabinet maker	34
Woodmachinist	6
Upholsterer	4
Total	45
Printing:
Compositor	4
Letterpress	3
Total	7
Dental:
Dental Mechanic	1
Total	1
Electrical:
Installations	184
Industrial Maintenance	45
Rewinding	3
Lift Installations	1
Refrigeration	1
Instrumentation	10
Total	244
Motor Mechanic:
Motor Mechanic	295
Agriculture Motor Mechanic	33
Total	328
Engineering:
Patternmaker	4
Foundry Craftsman	1
Fitter	191
Turner	4
Toolmaker	20
Aircraft Mechanic	2
Refrigeration Craftsman	5
Agriculture Fitter	1
Sheetmetal Worker	6
Metal Fabricator	89
Shipbuilder	5
Welder	11
Total	339
Construction:
Carpenter/Joiner	442
Painter/Decorator	81
Plumber	161
Brick/Stonelayer	199
Plasterer	142
Woodmachinist	19
Glazier	4
Stonecutter	2
Construction Plant Fitter	18
Total	1,068
Grand Total	2,032

Footnotes:

1. AnCO caters for the needs of unemployed apprentices by:

(a) seeking in conjunction with the National Manpower Service to have the apprentice reemployed as soon as possible;

(b) providing updating of skills courses in AnCO Training Centres;

(c) assigning out of work apprentices to block release courses in Regional Technical Colleges etc.

(d) placing apprentices on Community Youth training projects;

(e) "parking" apprentices with suitable employers on a temporary basis.

On 31 January some 870 unemployed apprentices included in the figures above were being catered for on AnCO Programmes.

2. Although the bulk of out of work apprentices notify AnCO there are a number of apprentices who are not notified and consequently are not on the register.

3. Some apprentices who were notified to AnCO as being out of work omit to inform AnCO that they have secured re-employment and their names still appear in the register.

4. Surveys by AnCO in 1982 of apprentices unemployed according to AnCO's records, indicated that 40 per cent of the respondents were actually unemployed.

Mr. Gene Fitzgerald

: This is stifling. It is most unsatisfactory——

An Ceann Comhairle

: This is a tabular statement and I would appreciate it if the Deputy would leave it at that. The Chair is ruling that supplementaries will not be allowed on this tabular statement.

Mr. Gene Fitzgerald

: Of course, I have to accept your ruling and I will accept it, but I want to make it known to the Minister that I am disappointed at this new trend towards giving out tabular statements in areas like this. There must be an obvious reason for it.