asked the Minister for Finance, if he will indicate in which specific sectors of industry he expects the forecast 14,000 new jobs envisaged in the national plan to arise.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Plan New Jobs.
3.
Table 1-2 of chapter 1 of the plan, Building on Reality indicates that out of a total increase of 14,000 in industrial employment between mid-April 1984 and mid-April 1987, 13,000 are expected to arise in manufacturing industry. This implies an annual average rate of increase of just under 4,500 a year, which is the mid-point of the range published in the White Paper on Industrial Policy. It is envisaged that this increase will be spread over most branches of manufacturing industry.
Would the Minister reflect on the reply given to me by the Taoiseach a few weeks ago when he told me that employment in the manufacturing sector is about 20 per cent of the available workforce? The Taoiseach told me that that percentage had risen during the previous two years. Considering that to be the level of unemployment in manufacturing industry, how serious and realistic is it to be suggesting that 13,000 out of the 14,000 new jobs in the planned period will be in the manufacturing sector where there is an enormously high rate of unemployment which appears to be getting worse? Companies are closing every day and the figure the Taoiseach gave me represents one person in every five out of work. Perhaps the Minister could help me to reconcile that with the target, or is it now a hope, of 13,000 new jobs created in the manufacturing industry.
The assistance I can give the Deputy in reconciling the figures is limited to putting the facts before him. After that he is on his own.
That is an ignorant reply.
I do not know what Deputy Brennan thinks about this but if Deputy Wilson wants to obstruct the answer I suggest that the two Deputies have a chat about it. The projection I have given is in respect of the mid-point of the employment estimate set out in the White Paper on Industrial Policy. The range forecast in the White Paper was between 3,000 and 6,000 jobs a year. In addition, we projected that output in manufacturing will increase by about 7½ per cent per year during the years 1985 to 1987 which, in view of the experience in the last three years, is a realistic expectation consistent with the White Paper target of doubling output during the ten years. In addition, the projection is based on the assumption that productivity growth in 1985 to 1987 will be slightly in excess of the long term average rate of about 5 per cent.
Does the Minister not agree that every month we are losing jobs in the manufacturing industry? I am sorry if the Minister will not assist me in reconciling the figures but it would seem to me we are losing jobs in manufacturing. How then can the Minister tell the House about a target of new jobs of 13,000 in the manufacturing industry? That is not what is happening, so will the Minister revise that estimate to a more sensible figure?
The Chair's difficulty is that Deputy Brennan put down a question, he has got an answer, he does not agree with the answer, but the time to make a speech will be some other occasion, not now. The purpose of Question Time is to get information and there will be other opportunities for using that information.
The Minister's reply focussed on industrial output and not on industrial employment. Does he not acknowledge that our experience up to date has been that we are suffering job losses in the manufacturing industry and therefore that the figure the Minister has presented in relation to output cannot suggest that we will see a change of the kind suggested?
That is exactly what Deputy Brennan has been asking. Question Time is not a time for speeches.
I am sorry if the Deputies feel disappointed. I did not speak only about output. I also referred to productivity and other factors that affect total employment.
Productivity and output, but to hell with jobs.