asked the Minister for Labour if he will give details of all of the staff employed by the Youth Employment Agency; and their location and grades.

The Youth Employment Agency currently employ 41 staff based at their office at 3-4 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin 2. I propose to circulate a detailed breakdown by number and grade in the Official Report.

The agency also employ a director and secretary for each of the eight pilot COMTECs which have been set up in Kerry, Cork, Sligo, Tallaght, Donaghmede-Artane, Waterford, Laois-Offaly and Monaghan.

Following is the statement:

Youth Employment Agency staff at 3-4 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin 2

How many people are involved in the projects?

There are two people involved per area and they have been seconded from other sectors of the public service.

Are they civil servants?

Not necessarily. Some of them came from either the National Manpower Service or from AnCO.

Are the 41 people who work at head office on contracts of employment or are they public servants on secondment? I am trying to establish their permanency or otherwise.

The current approved staffing level for the Youth Employment Agency is 41. That is the number that can be employed full time on permanent arrangements. I have the breakdown should the Deputy wish to have that information. I do not have available directly to me information as to which, if any, of these people are on secondment from other areas but if the Deputy wishes to have that information I shall make it available to him.

I shall be greatful if the Minister will let me have the figures in that respect.

I am a member of a COMTEC and I am wondering whether the Minister is satisfied with the work being done by the other agencies in the provision of premises and so on?

I am not in a position to give a frank answer to that since we are not long enough into the field to have made an evaluation. I should welcome a discussion in the House at some appropriate time so that we may ascertain how the projects are proceeding. The idea was put forward as a way of overcoming the duplication that all of us condemned but it remains to be seen whether the scheme is effective. I would be interested in hearing details of the Deputy's experience so far.

They are having their second meeting today.

That is the point. This is only the second meeting.

Do the COMTEC committees cover all the State agencies involved in this area? I have been putting forward the argument that for the scheme to be successful the COMTECs should be given a defined area with all the State agencies working together to tackle the unemployment problem in that area. Otherwise, we will continue to have duplication. Is this procedure being adopted in the matter of the pilot projects?

My understanding is that the COMTECs were set up specifically for that purpose and involve formal representation of all the relevant State agencies involved directly in the creation of employment or in training in that area.