asked the Minister for Industry and Energy the IDA targets for job approvals in 1982; the targets achieved; and the targets for job approvals in 1983.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - IDA Projects.
12.
The Industrial Development Authority's job approvals target was 30,000 for 1982. In that year the IDA approved 990 projects with total job potential of 29,511.
The IDA have now discontinued the practice of setting their overall target in terms of job approvals in line with the recommendations in the NESC-Telesis Reports on industrial policy. The Authority's target for 1983 is to create between 11,000 and 12,000 first-time grant-aided jobs and to grant-aid 900 projects under the new industry and small industries programmes.
Does the Minister consider that those job targets will be adequate to deal with the escalation in unemployment which we are experiencing from day to day?
Mr. Bruton
No. The fact of the matter is that industrial development on its own has never been sufficient to deal with the growing unemployment problem. If would be doing no one a favour to pretend that industrial development on its own will be the answer to the unemployment problem. The hope must be that as a result of industrial activity there will be spin-off employment in the associated services sector which will help us to counteract the unemployment problem. To be perfectly honest, no party has yet truly faced the gravity of the present unemployment problem. None of the measures which we have been discussing so far is a complete answer to it.
Are there any other plans to make up some of the very large shortfall which will arise? Are there any new plans to tackle the problem?
That is precisely why the Government established the Employment Action Team which brings together five or six central Ministers in the Cabinet in discussions on employment policy as a whole. The trouble up to now has been that there have been many different approaches to the unemployment problem by different Ministers acting very generally on their own. The idea of the Employment Action Team is to try to synchronise these to get the maximum return for State activity in this area. One must also face up to the serious problem that even after many of these measures have been adopted there will still be a very substantial pool of unemployment. That is where initiatives, such as the Youth Employment Agency, can be of help. In the overall context of the industrial policy White Paper referred to earlier, I will be trying to find, in conjunction with the Employment Action Team, answers to the problems which Deputy Reynolds has pointed out. I do not have the answer now and to pretend that I did would not be doing anybody in the House a favour.
13.
asked the Minister for Industry and Energy if the IDA are proceeding with the decision to promote industrial co-operatives.
I am informed by the Industrial Development Authority that they have assisted industrial workers' co-operatives in the past and the majority of these continue to trade successfully. At present the IDA are negotiating with a number of workers' co-operatives in relation to potential take-over proposals. Proposals by co-operatives are eligible for the full range of IDA financed assistance and services.
Will Cork Art Pottery come into the category which he has just supplied?
It is not among those in existence at the moment. The following industrial co-operatives are in existence, which have been supported by the IDA: Crannach in Navan, Navan Bedding Company also in Navan, the Inner City Co-operative in Dublin, The Irish Spring Unit Co-Operative Society in Dundalk and Belco Sports in Killala. There are a number of proposals for other co-operatives under active consideration, one of which is that referred to by the Deputy.
So Cork Art Pottery is being considered as an industrial co-operative?
Yes.
Would the Minister help in setting up a co-operative of East Cork Foods, arising out of a decision of the Government to close down East Cork Foods?
I am afraid that that is a general question. If we are willing to travel the whole country——
That is mainly a question for the Department of Agriculture.
The Minister is rising too much to the bait in that and other respects. Uimhir a 14.
Would the IDA have an involvement in setting up a co-operative in East Cork?
The IDA will look at any proposal to be made.
We cannot go through this matter county by county.
The IDA are, in fact, considering that proposal referred to by Deputy Ahern.
That is the answer.
The Minister is just as bad as the Deputy.
More so.
I am trying to be helpful.
This is a general question. We cannot go county by county or we will be here all day.
14.
asked the Minister for Industry and Energy if the IDA are proceeding with the provision of incubator type factories in association with the third level colleges (universities, regional technical colleges and NIHEs) as provided for in this year's Book of Estimates.
There is no specific reference in the Book of Estimates for the provision of incubator type factories in third level colleges.
I am informed that the Industrial Development Authority are actively pursuing a policy for the provision of incubator type factories in conjunction with a number of third level educational institutions throughout the country. The first of these units is currently nearing completion at University College, Galway, where eight units totalling 6,500 square feet are being provided. All of these units have been reserved for new projects approved by the IDA.
Discussions are currently proceeding between the IDA and a number of other third level colleges for the provision of similar facilities in other areas of the country.
Did I hear the Minister correctly to say that there was no provision this year?
No specific reference, but they are going ahead without specific provision in the Estimates.
Why did the Minister incorporate that line in his reply at all? Either there is provision or there is not. If there is provision, as I know there is, because that is why I asked the question——
They can go ahead; they do not need specific provision.
Do they not need specific provision?
They do not need specific provision. They can go ahead without it.
That is the point. I do not see the reason for this reference.
Sometimes there are matters in ministerial answers for which there is no reason.
15.
asked the Minister for Industry and Energy if the IDA are proceeding with the previous Government's decision to regionalise the development of small industry by extending the SFADCo approach to all areas of the country and by bringing together the efforts of the county development teams and the IDA under the co-supervision of the regional offices of the IDA and by the decentralisation of administrative and decision-making functions to the regions; and the length of time it will take to bring these decisions into operation.
The Industrial Development Authority are implementing the Government decision of 9 December 1982 to assign a small industry specialist to each of IDA's regional offices, with the exception of the mid west for which SFADCo have responsibility.
16.
asked the Minister for Industry and Energy if the IDA are proceeding to implement the decisions already taken to introduce schemes to promote the adoption of small firms by larger companies and to promote the secondment of senior personnel in the management, marketing and technological areas from large to small companies in order to facilitate further development; and when these schemes will be operational.
I am informed by the Industrial Development Authority that they are currently drawing up a pilot programme whereby technical experts will be seconded from selected larger companies to assist smaller manufacturing companies develop the ability to supply components to the larger concerns. The pilot programme is expected to be in operation in the second half of 1983.