asked the Minister for Labour when the Government White Paper on Manpower Policy will be published; and if the principle of the White Paper will be in line with the decision of the Dáil earlier this year to have one authority responsible for the many agencies presently involved in Manpower training schemes and related matters.

The White Paper on Manpower Policy will be published before the end of the year.

The White Paper will cover a number of major issues including the question of institutional arrangements. However, I regret that, pending a Government decision, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

Needless to say, I shall be glad to see the White Paper on Manpower Policy when it is published. I know the last one issued was in 1965 so I suppose this one will be worthy of the wait. Would the Minister confirm or deny that the Private Members' motion in this House, which agreed unanimously that there should be one manpower authority, will form the basis of the White Paper? Have the Government taken account of that Private Members' motion?

The Government have taken account of what I regarded as a particularly constructive debate over two evenings in this House, and have taken full account of all of the views and arguments expressed on all sides of the House in relation to it.

Can the Minister say when legislation will be introduced implementing changes in the present institutional arrangements? How long will it take after the announcement of the White Paper?

I am not in a position to give any prospective timetable at this stage.

Pending the publication of the White Paper and the follow-up legislation, would the Minister accept that the present manpower agencies are proving extremely ineffective in tackling the job they have to do because of their present structure?

No, I would not accept that they are being extremely ineffective in tackling the job they have to do. I would accept that they need considerable additional help and resources including structural changes. I am hoping to bring forward my proposals as to how we might deal with that in the White Paper as soon as possible.

I shall probably be debarred from asking any further questions on this subject until the White Paper is published. It appears the country knows at present the amount of resources put into the various agencies and the varying schemes implemented by those agencies, which is somewhat of a national scandal which has been highlighted several times——

This would not appear to be a question.

If there is not one authority contained in this White Paper we shall have to continue under existing legislation for another 22 years.

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