asked the Minister for Labour, with reference to the Employment Action Team, if he will specify the employment in man weeks and the action generated by the team since its inception; and whether it is his intention to continue with the team.

19.

asked the Minister for Labour if there are any proposals to set up a youth employment agency, to include members from all relevant bodies, to assist in the monitoring of the scale of youth unemployment, and to provide proposals to help alleviate this serious social problem.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 19 together.

Up to the end of October 1978, the schemes suggested by the team had provided more than 28,000 man weeks of employment. I understand that the team hopes to be in a position to make a further set of proposals to me soon.

It would be inappropriate for me, at this stage, to announce a decision on the future of the team or any other possible arrangement in relation to youth employment when I am in the process of a major review of manpower policy and relevant institutions and instruments in the context of the White Paper which is to be published this month.

Would the Minister accept that the 28,000 man weeks created as a result of the team's suggestion represents about 500 man years?

The schemes suggested by the Employment Action Team have been successful despite the Deputy's criticism in the House earlier in the year. For his information, I would point out that on the work experience programme which commenced at the beginning of September, at 2 December it had succeeded in placing 1,300 people. At the end of October almost 2,000 people were involved in environmental work schemes. That is just two indications of proposals of the team that merited such criticism from the Deputy earlier in the year.

I am glad the Minister has given the figures. I should like to know from the Minister if it represented 500 man-years. I thought the team was supposed to create 5,000 man-years employment. That is what the Minister promised. Secondly, in relation to the environmental improvement scheme for which the Minister has quoted 2,000 places, the figure given by the Minister for the Environment suggests that for £800,000 some 225 jobs were created in Dublin Corporation. At the very same time because of the national pay agreement, for which this Minister is responsible, the corporation had to find £1.89 million. Because this could not be used for job creation it meant that 500 new jobs could not be provided in Dublin Corporation. Is the Minister satisfied with that situation?

I have told the Deputy I am satisfied with the progress made by the Employment Action Team in their efforts to provide job opportunities and work experience for our young people at a time when there is a high level of youth unemployment.

If a youth employment agency were to be set up, does the Minister consider that it could more accurately determine the scale of unemployment among young people and, if properly constituted and financed, that it could produce far more definite opportunities than were produced by the Employment Action Team? They only produced proposals that were for the short-term in many instances and even some of those proposals have not been carried out as yet. Does the Minister consider that a youth employment agency could produce more definite proposals for long-term jobs and also determine more accurately the scale of youth unemployment?

As I said in my reply, I am involved at present in an overall review of manpower policy in the context of the employment aspects of the Green Paper and in the White Paper which is to be published this month.