asked the Minister for Labour the number of industrial jobs lost in the mid-west region since 10 September 1977 through factory closure and redundancy.

The information available in my Department indicates industrial job losses of the order of 1,500 in the mid-west region since 1 September 1977. The bulk of these were caused by the closure of Ferenka Ltd.

Could the Minister say if the money is being funded primarily from his Department or through another agency?

At the moment it is being funded by the Department. Should moneys become available from other agencies, such as the European Social Fund, we will, of course, welcome them.