asked the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism the steps being taken to provide employment at Clifden, Oughterard, Letterfrack, Headford, Inishboffin, Ardrahan, Athenry and Gort, County Galway.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - County Galway Employment.
14.
I am informed that the Industrial Development Authority have the following facilities available for industrial development in the areas mentioned by the Deputy.
LAND AND FACTORIES
|
Location |
Acres |
Factories sq. ft. |
|
Clifden |
2.0 |
— |
|
Oughterard |
1.3 |
— |
|
Letterfrack |
— |
5 × 600 — 2 reserved |
|
— 3 being promoted |
||
|
Gort |
22.5 |
7,200— being promoted |
|
Loughrea |
6.0 |
— |
|
Athenry |
14.0 |
— |
The IDA are currently engaged in discussions regarding the purchase of a 3,000 sq. ft. factory formerly owned by Headford Abattoir Equipment Company Ltd.
The IDA have provided a craft centre at Roundstone, County Galway, consisting of six factories/workshops totalling over 8,000 sq. ft. all of which are occupied. Thirty people are currently employed in the centre and a further ten jobs will be provided. In addition, the IDA approved five crafts/small industry projects for the Clifden and Letterfrack areas of County Galway in 1983. In Gort, Lisk Ireland Ltd., Clarenbridge Crystal Ltd. and Topform Ltd. are continuing to build up employment while Oughterard Engineered Components Ltd. propose to expand their factory this year as production increases.
The Minister has given facts about what happened two years ago——
Please do not make a speech.
What is the Minister doing by way of providing assistance to the IDA in Galway, who are very efficient, to attract industry to towns and the county generally? Is he aware that there are now 10,600 people unemployed in Galway? There are 20,000 students at second level education and can he say what he is doing to provide assistance to the IDA to secure jobs for those people?
I appreciate the seriousness of the unemployment problem and the prospective labour force in schools. There is no denying that. I would be hoping to see a situation in the relatively near future in which greater powers would be devolved on local IDA regional offices in the west and in other parts of the country to enable them to provide a one-stop shop, so to speak, for local small industrialists where all services for potential small businesses — whether they be services from the IDA or from other agencies — can be provided in a co-ordinated way in each of the regions, in Galway in this case. That is the way in which we can solve the problem, by providing back-up services for the undoubtedly large numbers of talented young and not so young people in Galway who have ideas for the setting up of businesses.
It will not create one extra job.
I have already indicated substantial numbers of jobs which have been created in Galway. I am also well aware of the fact that there have been many successful industries established with the assistance of the IDA in the city of Galway, which is not mentioned in Deputy Molloy's question.
Can the Minister give us any information on any significant industry that has been brought into County Galway or into any of those towns in the last 12 months? That is basically the kind of information that was requested in this question. Is it not correct to say that no new industry of any significance has been brought into County Galway in the past 12 months?
That seems to be a separate question.
Yes, you are right, Sir.