asked the Minister for Labour the number of people in the Dublin city areas employed under the social employment scheme.

As statistics are compiled on a regional basis it is not possible to provide figures for individual countries. The Dublin city and county areas are included in the east region of the National Manpower Service which also includes Counties Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. In that region there are currently 1,069 persons employed in 437 projects under the social employment scheme.

Would the Minister make a statement on the negotiations between his Department, through the National Manpower Service, and Dublin Corporation in regard to the fact that nobody in Dublin city is involved in the social employment scheme?

That is a separate question. If the Deputy wishes to put it down I will be pleased to give him a comprehensive reply.

Is the Minister disappointed with the low number of people involved in the social employment scheme in Dublin city and will he explain why the numbers are so low?

The supplementary put by the Deputy is of such a comprehensive nature that it would be better answered by way of either an Adjournment Debate or an alternative question.

Question No. 6.

I know the Chair has no control over the questions but nobody is employed on the social employment scheme through Dublin Corporation. The Minister failed to convince the trade union movement——

That is not a question.

The Minister will not answer the question.

Could I ask a supplementary?

I declined to answer the question because the responsibility to employ people in the social employment scheme in any local authority is primarily that of the local authority. If the Deputy wishes to have this matter fully debated in the House I am prepared to facilitate him, but since my interests are more concerned with ensuring that people become employed under the scheme, such a debate might not necessarily be constructive. If the Deputy wishes to explain why the largest authority have failed so far to employ people I would be glad to hear him. This authority are controlled by the party of which the Deputy is a member and the Deputy is the Fianna Fáil leader on that authority. It would not be constructive to have a debate here on this at the moment and that is why I am declining to answer the question.

Has the Minister had a meeting with the city manager and his officials to discuss the matter referred to?

I am quite prepared to discuss the matter with the Deputies——

You cannot discuss it here.

——but that question has not been put. Rather than answer unstructured supplementaries it would be more constructive to deal with this in an orderly manner.

My question was straightforward. Has the Minister had meetings or discussions with the city manager or his officials?

I have spoken to officials in Dublin Corporation.

This is Parliamentary Question Time, you know.

The major local authority have not one person employed under the social employment scheme. The local authority have tried to negotiate that with the unions without success and they have called on the services of the Department of Labour, and I understand that the Minister——

A question, Deputy.

I wish to know the outcome of the negotiations which took place between Dublin Corporation, the Department of Labour, the Manpower officials and the trade unions involved? That relates to this question and why the figures are so low in the Dublin city area.

It is quite extraordinary that Deputy Ahern had to come to this House to ask a statistical question of a general nature when he is in a position to ask the officials of the local authority who would be the legal employers the precise position between them——

I have the floor at the moment.

Order.

Together with all the other members of the Fianna Fáil Party elected to Dublin City Council, the Deputy is in a position to ask the officials why they have been unable to employ people under this scheme through the proper procedures, when they have negotiated successfully with the same unions in Dublin County Council. I am quite prepared to talk this through——

It cannot be done during Question Time.

The Minister knows the answer as it was his officials who failed to come to a conclusion. They will not give Dublin Corporation the necessary amendment so the responsibility clearly lies with the Minister.

Question No. 6.

Dublin Corporation were the only local authority in the entire country——

I have called Question No. 6.

I have called Question No. 6.

6.