asked the Minister for Education the measures taken to date to train teachers in consumer protection as per recommendation of European Commission in June this year.

I presume that the Deputy is referring to the EEC Commission Draft Action Programme of the European Communities with regard to consumers of 25 June 1979. This document has been submitted to the EEC Council for approval with the suggestion that the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee be consulted on the programme.

The draft action programme refers to the continuance of the work presently being undertaken by the Commission on a teacher training programme and to the Commission furnishing to the Council a communication on, inter-alia, teacher training and consumer education.

My Department are represented on the Commission's working party on teacher training relating to consumer education in schools. This working party has already had three meetings and will submit an interim progress report at the end of the year. On the basis of this research, a programme of experimental teacher training seminars will be drawn up with the Commission and my Department will be happy to co-operate in this programme.

On the general question of teacher training and consumer education, I am glad to inform the Deputy that my Department hope to be in a position to organise introductory courses for teachers to initiate them into consumer education programmes in 1980.

Can the Minister tell the House anything about the present approach to consumer education in schools? Does he think that this new programme will increase substantially the awareness among students of the needs in this area?

I would hope that the result would be that to which the Deputy refers. I am in total agreement with the thesis that the strength is all on the producers' side and that we should do everything we can to strengthen the consumers. To the extent that we can do this in the schools, we will do it.

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