asked the Minister for Labour, having regard to the fact that there are no longer career information leaflets available to post-primary schools, if he has any plans to reintroduce this scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Career Information Leaflets.
16.
The provision of career information, carried out by the Department of Labour since the late sixties passed to FÁS on their establishment in 1988. In recent months, FÁS have had all career information leaflets re-examined with a view to revising and updating them. Developments and changes in careers require frequent revision and updating.
A number of new leaflets will be available for distribution by mid-December through the network of FÁS local offices. Teachers, parents and students will, therefore, be able to obtain leaflets locally.
I welcome the Minister's reply. At the moment we have no national career guidance service. This has been the position, as the Minister said, since he abolished the scheme under which the National Manpower Service distributed the leaflets. It is disgraceful that teachers have to send to England for career information. While I welcome the Minister's commitment to update the existing information and to distribute it, I would like him to assure us that this will be done immediately. It is not right that we should force our teachers to send to England for this information. My final point is this. FÁS issue leaflets on the courses they organise. They do not issue leaflets on several other careers. I would like the Minister to tell us if the updated information which FÁS will issue will include details on careers other than the apprenticeships schemes which they organise?
I did not abolish any scheme, I just stopped sending out information which was not of much use.
What is the difference?
Some of the material I had, predated the war and would not have been of any help to young people. What we are now trying to do is to update the relevant data on all careers. What the Deputy asked me for will now be done. It will take some time to build up information on all careers but certainly we are endeavouring to do what the Deputy has asked for.