asked the Taoiseach, with reference to the most recent quarterly industrial inquiry, the net increase in employment in manufacturing industry compared with the same quarter the previous year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Manufacturing Industry Employment.
3.
Based on the results of the quarterly industrial inquiry, the net increase in the estimated number of persons engaged in manufacturing industry between mid-March 1977 and mid-March 1978, the latest period for which the data are available at present, amounted to 3,100.
I should like to know if the 3,000 jobs he mentioned were the only productive jobs created in the past year.
The reply deals with the statistics covering the figures for employment in manufacturing industry. Even the Deputy should be aware that that is not the only area of productive employment.
Is the Minister of State aware that the Taoiseach quoted a figure of 35,000 to the House? Where are the rest of those jobs or the 5,000 from last year?
Is the Deputy asking a question about manufacturing industry?
I was not asking the Minister for Economic Planning and Development. Where are the jobs?
The Deputy is quoting me out of context.
Does the Taoiseach wish to repeat what he said?
There were redundancies as well as loss of employment in agriculture.
Would the Minister accept that in terms of increasing employment normally most of the increase comes from the manufacturing sector? Given that could he explain how one can extrapolate, even allowing for an improving trend, an increase of 3,000 in the 12 months ending March last to an increase in total employment of which manufacturing employment always provides the bulk in the following 12 months?
I do not accept what the Deputy has stated in this regard.
The Minister for Economic Planning and Development accepted it now.
I did not accept it.
There has been a huge increase in public service employment and the Deputy knows that.
We said in our manifesto that there would be a time lag before employment would expand in the private sector.
Is it not evident now that the Government's policies have been a failure and that a review of their job creation policy is necessary?
No.