asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the plans the Government have for the development and encouragement of industry along the Shannon Estuary.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Shannon Estuary Industry.
14.
The Shannon Estuary area is being actively promoted by the Industrial Development Authority and the Shannon Free Airport Development Company as a location for new industry and specifically for the kinds of industry which tend to be located in an estuarial or port area. Each individual proposition of this kind has to be considered on its merits and within the framework of the existing incentives available for industrial development in the areas concerned.
Am I to understand the Parliamentary Secretary said the development of the Shannon Estuary, which is a natural for development, is being actively pursued by the Industrial Development Authority and the Shannon Free Airport Development Company?
Yes.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary say what progress has been made so far by these two State bodies in their active promotion of these areas?
Since 1973, 60 major new grant-aided industrial projects have been approved by SFADCO and the IDA for the region with an employment potential approaching 6000 jobs. In addition, in the 1973-76 period, 145 other projects involving modernisations and expansions of small industry development and service-type projects have been approved which involve over 3,850 jobs at full production. I might also add that, in the past year, existing and new industry in the region created 2,100 new jobs while job losses were held at 900. There has been a net increase in the past year in the employment in industry in the region.
I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for information which I did not ask for. I asked for specific information on the progress made by the IDA and SFADCO in industrial promotion on the Shannon Estuary, and not in the mid-western region which is the responsibility of SFADCO for industrial promotion. Can the Parliamentary Secretary be more specific in spelling out for me the success to date by the IDA and SFADCO in attracting industry to the Shannon Estuary? The Parliamentary Secretary told me that 60 projects were got going in the past couple of years, but I want to know what has been got going on the estuary, not in County Tipperary and not in County Clare. I am talking about the estuary proper. There is a difference.
It is very hard to distinguish between what one would describe as the hinterland of the estuary and the region as a whole. A very arbitrary decision would have to be taken as to whether industry which was ten or 12 miles from the coast was estuarial industry or not. The information I have given the Deputy is the information which is available in this form. I do not think information is available specifically related to a distance of three miles from the coast or something like that.
I have no difficulty whatsoever in being able to identify industrial promotion or development on the Shannon Estuary. I am sorry the Parliamentary Secretary has this difficulty and that the type of answer prepared for him seemingly is intended to cloud the situation as it is.
A question, please.
Arising out of what the Parliamentary Secretary said, if the tremendous efforts he attributed to the IDA and SFADCO in promoting industry on the Shannon Estuary are what I believe them to be, I would invite the Parliamentary Secretary, the IDA and SFADCO on a tour of the Shannon Estuarial region when we could easily and clearly identify for them the factories which are non-existent as a result of their efforts.
I am afraid we are having a speech rather than a question.
Arising out of——
This must be a very brief supplementary Deputy. I have dwelt on this question for a long time.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary say how many jobs have been lost in this region since the Government took office? Is it not a fact that, despite the new job creation, the overall situation is that there has been no improvement in this region in the past four years?
The information I have on job losses relates to the past year, which indicates that there was a net increase in the region in the past year, which is the matter about which Deputy Daly inquired.
The estuary.
Deputy Daly asked about the region. If Deputy Collins was listening to his colleague he would know he asked me about the region, not the estuary.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that there has been no development in the estuary region over the past four years?
No.
None whatever?
Question No. 15.