Enda Kenny
Ceist:28 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Labour if he will outline the Government's intentions regarding FÁS offices being set up in Germany; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - FÁS Offices in EC Countries.
Toddy O'Sullivan
Ceist:30 Mr. T. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Labour if he will outline the number of foreign FÁS offices he intends to open and their locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Jim Higgins
Ceist:69 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Labour the number of FÁS personnel who will be involved in his recently announced employment initiative in EC countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Pat Rabbitte
Ceist:71 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Labour if he will outline his plans for the opening of FÁS offices on the Continent to organise the placement of unemployed Irish citizens in jobs in other European countries; the number of such offices planned; the total expected; the numbers expected to be placed; if there has now been a change of Government policy to facilitate the emigration of Irish people; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:91 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Labour if he has satisfied himself with the way in which job opportunities throughout the European Community are made known to Irish nationals seeking employment within the European Community; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 30, 69, 71 and 91 together.
FÁS already provide relevant information to Irish people interested in securing employment abroad. Indications are that there are job vacancies in some member states which might be of interest to Irish job seekers. Irish people do accept jobs abroad but there is evidence, e.g. from the NESC report entitled "The Economic and Social Implications of Emigration", which shows that Irish emigrants fail to enter occupational categories appropriate to their qualifications. Against this background, I would propose locating FÁS employees in employment offices of appropriate EC member states following official discussions. Such persons will also help out in relation to accommodation and acclimatisation generally.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise the voluntary nature of this initiative and to categorically deny any question of forcing unemployed persons to take up such employment. I think, however, in view of the serious unemployment position and the Single European Market come 1993 that I would be failing the young people of this country in particular, if I did not bring job opportunities to their attention and to assist them in every way possible when working abroad.
What level of European Community funding will be available in setting up these offices? Which European Community countries has he in mind when he refers to other member states, and what category of employee will be eligible to apply to the FÁS offices being set up abroad?
We believe that the cost involved in setting up and placing personnel at the National Manpower Offices will not be significant and we expect to get European Community funding. There is already in existence what is called the SEDOC programme which is being revised at present by the European Commission. We are taking advantage of that in putting forward this proposal. We think, in relation to the cost of this scheme to the Exchequer, that if we place as few as 100 to 150 people in Europe, that the scheme will pay for itself. Indeed, at a time when they had not staff in European Community countries, FÁS were successful in placing 2,000 people within the Community last year. There are job vacancies in the highly-skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled areas. I should point out that many of the job opportunities available in Europe at present are being taken up by non-European Community nationals. When we look at the European Community and bear in mind the principle of free movement of capital, services and labour, this is the obvious approach to take in respect of those who wish to take up these opportunities. Unfortunately, the final part of the Deputy's supplementary question escapes me.
The final part of my question was where does the Minister intend to set up offices?
The member states which we have identified are Germany and the Netherlands in particular. We intend to place personnel in Munich to cover the Bavarian region, in Stuttgart to cover the Baden-Wurttenburg region and Rijswik to cover the Netherlands.
First, I wish to welcome the Minister to the House for his first session of questions as Minister for Labour. Having said that, I very much regret that he chose to ignore my Priority Question completely. In reply to a supplementary question from Deputy Kenny he identified some of the locations where offices will be set up. Would the Minister accept that any measure to assist Irish skilled and professional talent in moving to jobs in Europe is in direct conflict with the need to achieve cohesion through a proper regional policy to direct funds into areas of high unemployment and that in trying to come to grips with the problem he has taken the soft option?
I would not agree with the Deputy that the two propositions are mutually exclusive; this is but one of a number of initiatives which we intend to take to deal with what we all agree is a serious unemployment problem. My first initiative was to seek clarification in respect of European Community funding for the job subsidy scheme and the job training scheme which will be worth in the region of £70 million to us when those two schemes reach a conclusion. My second initiative amounted simply to an announcement and I felt that I was stating the obvious. Given that we have a labour surplus in this country, that there is a labour shortage in parts of the European Community and that job opportunities are presently being taken up by non-European Community nationals, we should not throw up our hands and say to people that once they leave this country we are no longer responsible for them because there is statistical evidence which suggests that those who are leaving are not getting the jobs for which they are well qualified. I am simply suggesting that if they decide to go to these European countries we have a responsibility to make sure that we have a structure in place there for them to help them find the jobs that are available, to obtain accommodation and become acclimatised. This is only one of a range of initiatives which I agree have to be taken to deal with the unemployment problem.
A very brief question from Deputy O'Sullivan and Deputy Kenny.
I appreciate that the Minister was otherwise engaged and extremely busy over the weekend, but a report appeared in The Sunday Times last Sunday that there has been an outbreak of xenophobia in Germany in particular, a growth in right wing movements and that some of those at the lower end of the labour market, in particular migrant workers, have been subjected to frightful atrocities——
Brief and relevant questions, please.
This has to be taken into account bearing in mind the fact that the Minister mentioned that he hopes some unskilled workers will go there.
I want to assist the Deputy but we must proceed by way of supplementary questions.
I should make the point that there has been an outbreak of some left wing movement in Ireland as well.
We know what happened to them.
If we adopt a structured approach to this question and people are happy to go there and find places, that is fine, but if they are not happy with the situation that is fine also.
A final question from Deputy Kenny.
Would the Minister not agree, given modern technology, that it should be possible for an unemployed person to walk into his local FÁS office here and obtain information on the range of opportunities which exist in a different country? If people are to staff FÁS offices abroad, will the Minister provide a series of language courses for them so that they will be competent to deal with these matters?
Also, given that this question relates to job creation, when I checked with my local FÁS office this morning I discovered that there are 300 approved places available under various social employment schemes but these cannot commence because of a shortage of funds. As I have been refused the right to ask questions in the Dáil, perhaps the Minister will check the matter for me.
The Deputy is straying somewhat from the subject matter of his question.
I am not aware of what is going on in Mayo all the time but I will check the matter for the Deputy. In relation to the need for language skills, the idea is that we will use European Community-funded staff exchange programmes, some of which have already been availed of by FÁS employees so that they will know what to expect once they take up places at these National Manpower Service offices. Second, I agree with the Deputy that the ideal is that this information should be available in our own FÁS offices but our aim in revising the SEDOC programme within the European Community and placing people out there is to improve the access to information which we want people in this country to have. As a result, if a person goes into a FÁS office here and a job in which that person is interested is available somewhere on the European mainland not only will they be informed about this but also, once they go out there we will have people to ensure that they are acclimatised.