Can the Minister tell me the number of young people leaving school without any examination credits? Are they being adequately catered for in regard to career guidance and preparation for life?

I could not. The only figures I have here are those the Deputy asked me for, those who applied to sit for the examinations in 1977. I do not know how many of those will pass the examinations. Those are presumably the people the Deputy is referring to as coming out without any credits.

After those examinations will the Minister be able to tell me the number of young people leaving school without examination credits? Surely that information must be available.

I am sure it is. If the Deputy puts down a question, I will try to get the information for him. The question he put down asked the number of pupils who will be sitting for those three examinations this year.

I assume in any school year that an interest is taken in the welfare of young people and the principals of the different schools would have some knowledge of the young people who will leave school without examination credits.

That may well be so and I should hope that he would have that interest, but the information in that regard is not on the file. The Deputy would need to put down a separate question.