asked the Taoiseach the number of registered unemployed in the EEC member states in December 1982 and 1983 who were aged under 25 years; and the percentage change in each country.

Dún Laoghaire): Information on the number of persons under 25 years of age who are registered as unemployed is published on a monthly basis by the Statistical Office of the European Communities. Information is available for nine member states, Greece being the exception. I propose to circulate a tabular statement showing the information requested by the Deputy.

Following is the statement:

*Estimated by the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

†Provisional.

It should be noted that different legislation and administrative practices affect both coverage and comparability of the results for different member states.

What is the percentage increase in the case of Ireland in respect of the number under 25 who are registered as unemployed?

(Dún Laoghaire): For the period in question it is plus 19.4 per cent.

That is an increase of almost 20 per cent since the Government came to power in December 1982. What proposals have they for trying to prevent this trend continuing?

That does not arise on this statistical question.

(Dún Laoghaire): For the information of the Deputy the figure was plus 24.6 per cent for 1980-81.

As the Minister is giving additional information——

Supplementaries must be confined to the statistical information that has been given.

——I would appreciate his giving me the numbers concerned for the years 1981-82 and 1982-83.

(Dún Laoghaire): At December 1982 the number was 54,000 while for 1983 it was 64,500.

Is the Minister aware that the register as compiled in the European countries to which he has referred is drawn up on a different basis from what happens here, namely, it would include people who have not been in employment and that therefore we are not comparing like with like even in terms of the tabular statement? If our register were to indicate the true position regarding young people without work, as happens throughout Europe, it would show a very much bigger gap than that indicated by the tabular statement.

(Dún Laoghaire): It is fair to say that there are different legislative and administrative practices in other member states and that this can have the effect of changing figures. In Greece, for instance, an unemployed person who is under 25 but who comes from a farm, for example, would not be included on the register. The figures are related only to industrial unemployment.

Arising from that——

We cannot have a discussion on the matter.

I am asking in respect of the countries for which the Minister has figures available if he is not aware that the register will disclose people as unemployed who would not be registered here because of their having not come into employment yet? I am talking of the countless thousands of young people who are waiting for jobs or who are undergoing training courses. In this situation would the Minister not agree that the gap between the level of unemployment here vis-à-vis the situation in Europe is very much wider than would appear from the figures given?

(Dún Laoghaire): The information I gave was compiled by the Statistical Office of the European Communities. It should be noted that different legislation is practised in the different member states.

In the interest of accurate information——

This would be more appropriate to a debate.

(Dún Laoghaire): The information I have given is accurate.

——if the Minister could ascertain for himself and for the benefit of the public the basis on which the figures are compiled in the member states, he would find that the situation is very much worse here than appears to be the case.

When did the Deputy find out all this — back about 1979?

Has the Minister any estimate of the numbers not registered but who are unemployed?

(Dún Laoghaire): I have answered the question that was tabled.

Deputy O'Hanlon is now asking a separate question. I must move on to Question No. 2.