asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will undertake a comprehensive review of the results of industrial grants legislation to date, as proposed by the Committee on Industrial Organisation; and if, in such review, special attention will be paid to the actual employment figures for industries set up or extended with the help of industrial grants as opposed to the hoped-for employment figures at present published in the reports of An Foras Tionscal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Industrial Development.
18.
Prior to the recommendation of the CIO a review was commenced by An Foras Tionscal in 1961. This review had to be discontinued however because of pressure of work arising from the announcement of the Adaptation Grant Scheme. The review was being carried out on a confidential basis by mutual agreement with the industries concerned. Its scope included employment and in the limited number of industries visited it was found that in general the actual employment was not out of line with what had been proposed.
19.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will ensure that in future An Foras Tionscal will publish more detailed, more informative and more frequent reports of industrial development in this country as financed by industrial grants.
An Foras Tionscal is a financial and not a promotional body. Its functions are to give grants and to report factually on its activities. I would be interested to know what more information the Deputy thinks should be given in the published reports.
The legislation provides for an annual report and I do not see the need for more frequent published reports.