asked the Minister for Finance if he will outline his policy in regard to the encouragement of mobility between the public and private sectors; the success or otherwise of his endeavours in this respect to date; and the logistics applying in this area.

My policy is to encourage and support exchanges of staff between the public and private sectors. Since 1979 an agreed mobility scheme has been in operation to encourage temporary transfers between the Civil Service and the private sector. Following contact with a wide range of companies and detailed discussions with some of them, exchanges have been arranged involving nine companies, six Departments and 16 personnel.

The mobility scheme is designed to develop the individuals who take part, to provide and intake of special skills and to improve communication and understanding between the public sector and the private sector.

Does the Minister wholeheartedly support mobility between the public and the private sectors and does he agree that the benefit to the public sector should at least partly increase productivity at all levels in the service and not just at the highest levels? We have some instances in the public service where private enterprise has been introduced, for instance, in An Post and in An Bord Telecom, but that is only at the highest level. Does the Minister agree that we should have exchange at very many levels before that? Could the Minister name the Departments which were involved in the exchanges which have taken place to date?

I agree with what the Deputy has said. The grades have been from AO and AP generally. I am disappointed with the response from the private sector in relation to exchange. I fully support the Deputy's view and I am doing my best to encourage exchange. The Departments concerned were the DPS, Finance, Communications, Tourism and Transport, Labour and Agriculture.

Would the Minister not agree that even if there has been a poor response from private industry, the response from the public service has been even poorer and that those who have attempted to go on exchanges with the private sector have been prevented from doing so by their own Departments and that in cases where people applied they have been refused because there has not been enough staff in the Department? We know that that is not true. Will the Minister agree that there was a poorer response in the public service than in the private sector?

I do not accept that. There are thousands on career breaks of one kind or another, some of whom have gone into jobs in the private sector.