§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether he will initiate a survey to establish how many children of compulsory school age are failing to achieve their full educational potential as a consequence of excessive part-time employment;
(2) what restrictions are placed on employers who provide part-time jobs for post-primary pupils who are still required to attend school on a full-time basis.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe restrictions imposed on employers of children of compulsory school age are contained in byelaws regulating the employment of children, made by each education and library board, under the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968. The byelaws stipulate the occupations in which children may be employed, the age below which children are not to be employed, the number of daily or weekly hours for which they may be employed, the times of day at which they may be employed, the intervals to be allowed to them for meals and rest, the holidays or half-holidays to be allowed to them and any other conditions to be observed in relation to their employment.
I am not aware of any need for a survey.