asked the Minister for Labour the additional funds that have been made available to the Teamwork Scheme for 1986.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Teamwork Scheme Funds.
6.
An additional £2 million has been provided by the Government for the continuation of the Teamwork scheme this year. All applications for assistance under the scheme are currently under active consideration in my Department and a decision will be made on them in due course.
Bearing in mind that 100,000 people under 25 who are eligible for work are unemployed, does the Minister consider the figure of £2 million adequate for this scheme? The many organisations who have applied for assistance but not received any response are unhappy. Those organisations are trying to cater for young people. Should more money be allocated to this scheme?
I agree that the amount of money is inadequate and I wish I had more. I have no doubt the Deputy shares my conviction that young people should be given a chance to find employment and I should like to know if he will help us to raise the necessary taxes to do that.
The Book of Estimates at the beginning of the year showed a 41 per cent reduction in the grant for the Teamwork scheme. There is general agreement that Teamwork is one of the better schemes but I should like to know the thinking behind the decision to reduce the allocation to the most successful scheme.
From memory I think the Deputy is mistaken in his figure of 40 per cent. The amount of money made available in the Estimates for 1985 was increased in the course of the year because of the success of the scheme. I presume the Estimate for 1986 was based on what was provided in 1985. I share the view that Teamwork continues to be a very successful programme and that it is totally over-subscribed. It is because of its success that we have made available an extra £2 million. I hope that amount will be sufficient to meet the demands on the scheme. If it is not sufficient I have no doubt Deputies opposite will come forward with suggestions as to where extra money might be found so that we can meet a shared objective.
Will the Minister say if the Suss centre in Ballymun, an area where unemployment is the highest in the country, has received a grant under the Teamwork Scheme to permit it to continue in operation?
I do not have that information but I will communicate with the Deputy on the matter.
It appears that the funds for the social employment scheme, which is directly related to Teamwork, are unlimited and I should like to ask the Minister if it will be possible to transfer some of those funds to Teamwork to cater for people under 25 who are not getting a chance.
I sympathise with the sentiments expressed by the Deputy. The House can be assured that I will use all the funds available to me to maximum efficiency to provide employment for the people concerned.