asked the Minister for Labour if his attention has been drawn to the practice of companies who sponsor young people for apprenticeships without paying them; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that they do not have any finances to pay these apprentices; and the steps he intends to take in this matter.
Written Answers. - Sponsorship of Apprentices.
120.
I presume the Deputy is referring to apprentices designated under the Industrial Training Act, 1967, and the Labour Services Act, 1987.
Employers who sponsor apprentices for training in FÁS training centres agree as part of a sponsorship contract to pay the apprentice his/her wages during training regardless of whether the apprentice is in attendance at the employer's premises or undergoing training off-the-job in a training centre.
FÁS make every effort to ensure that employers meet their obligations to their apprentices relating to pay. Any difficulty arising would, however, be a day-to-day matter for FÁS to follow up.
As the Deputy may be aware, FÁS is carrying out, at my request, a review of apprenticeship and a discussion document on the matter will be published shortly. This will lead to a general debate on the whole area of apprenticeship.