asked the Minister for Labour if he will consider making the youth development officer scheme permanent and raising the funding of the scheme to 90 per cent in view of the excellent work these officers were involved in among young people throughout the country.

: The development officer scheme was introduced in 1979 as a temporary employment measure with a four year commitment to Exchequer assistance on a declining scale.

In the 1983 Budget I secured additional finance to raise the level of support for each development officer from a maximum of £5,000 a year, a figure which obtained from 1979, to £7,000 a year.

I am at present considering the future of the scheme.

: The Minister is covering this scheme for 1983. Do I take it that he is giving a commitment to continue the scheme for a four year period?

: I did not catch what the Deputy said.

: I take it the Minister has covered the scheme for 1983. Will he give a four year commitment the same as on the previous occasion?

: No. The situation is that this scheme was introduced in 1979 arising from the recommendation of the employment action team. At that stage it contemplated the employment of 100 young people as development officers through voluntary organisations, their employment to be supported on a sliding scale. The level of support remained static from 1979 but in this years' budget that level of support was substantially increased in each instance from £5,000 to £7,000. The question of the long-term future of the scheme is under consideration and I have already had discussions with almost all the youth organisations involved as employers.

: Is the Minister of State indicating that this scheme will not continue after 1983?

: I have already indicated that when this scheme was first introduced in 1979 it was intended to have a four year life span. During that four year life span it gave rise to considerable problems for many of the organisations who were employing development officers because the original figure set of £5,000 proved to be inadequate and presented a burden on their limited resources. In those circumstances, I was happy to secure additional funding in this year's budget to carry them over their immediate difficulties. The question of the long-term future of the scheme is now under consideration.

9.