asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if, in view of the unemployment problem in the Greenhills, Walkinstown, and Tallaght areas of County Dublin, he will state the plans the Government or the IDA have to provide employment for these areas.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Employment Plans.
22.
I understand from the IDA that projects approved for the areas mentioned by the Deputy since January, 1975, have an employment potential of over 300 jobs. In addition, a project which was approved in 1973 has employed a further 200 workers since March of this year.
The Industrial Development Authority are continuing to promote the Dublin area as a location for large-scale projects and have also extended their small industries programme to the Dublin area for certain selected sectors of industry.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary in a position to say if the IDA has any plans to build advance factories in the areas mentioned?
I have no information about advance factories. However, I can tell the Deputy that since January, 1975, the IDA approved grants totalling £2.35 million to 28 projects in this area. The projects involve an investment of more than £9 million and have an employment potential of 302. One firm would provide 178 of these jobs. The IDA has no current plans to purchase land in the area but Dublin Corporation has a large tract of serviced land available for industrial development in Tallaght on which the IDA has first refusal on 25 acres. I also understand that the construction of factory units on a speculative basis by private developers continues and that the level of activity in this respect has increased significantly in recent months.
Since the Parliamentary Secretary has stated that the IDA has approved of so many grants, do I take it from his reply that this employment has not started yet? Do I take it that no employment has come yet since the grants were approved?
In the industry to which I was referring, that with an employment potential of 178, I can tell the Deputy that 15 people have already been employed. That firm will be building up to larger figures.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary satisfied that the IDA has been doing everything possible to provide employment? Bearing in mind the thousands unemployed in the Tallaght and Walkinstown areas is the Parliamentary Secretary satisfied that everything possible is being done to provide alternative employment and employment for the unemployed of those areas?
I should like to tell the Deputy that the IDA is now promoting the Dublin area under its overseas industrial programme for large industries, particularly those with an employment potential of more than 500 and for projects for which alternative locations in the country are not feasible. The extension of the small industries programme as it applies to Dublin also applies to the areas about which the Deputy is concerned. That decision was taken by the Government some time back.