asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the plans he has to improve the industrial manufacturing base in County Mayo; if he is aware of the serious levels of unemployment due to factory closures in the county over the past five years; and if he will consider declaring County Mayo a disadvantaged area which requires special measures and assistance to enable it to attract manufacturing industry and investment.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - County Mayo Manufacturing Base.
7.
I am aware of the serious unemployment situation in County Mayo and have been assured by the Industrial Development Authority that they are actively promoting the county for suitable industrial development.
County Mayo is already a designated area for the purpose of the industrial development legislation and attracts the highest level of grants and incentives permitted.
Priority is being given by the Authority to promoting Castlebar as a location for new industrial projects following the announcement in January 1985 of the intended closure of the Baxter Travenol Laboratories plant. I am pleased to note that this company have decided to postpone the closure of the plant by one year and that the 250 people currently employed will be retained up to November 1987.
The Deputy will be aware that it was recently announced that IDA grant assistance had been approved for 12 small industry projects in County Mayo with a potential to create 80 jobs and involving a capital investment of £623,000.
I thank the Minister for that useless information which we know already.
I am sure the Deputy's constituents would not agree.
I will say why——
Let us not argue.
It is a designated area but it is no more designated for investment than the centre of Dublin. That is not the point. The situation is as the Minister says that the IDA gave a commitment——
Can we have a question?
Yes. The IDA gave a commitment to Castlebar that they would resolve the unemployment crisis in the town occasioned by the withdrawal of Travenol. Is the IDA commitment still in place to have the 1,000 jobs to be lost in Castlebar restored before the end of this year?
The Baxter Travenol Laboratories plant is to stay open for another year and the 250 people currently employed there will be employed there for another year. Who knows, with the expansion in the world economy, they may well decide to continue in employment there. The IDA plan for Castlebar included the establishment of a high level task force in the IDA to muster the full resources of the organisation to promote Castlebar. During 1985 this resulted in 19 overseas industrialists assisting the town. It resulted secondly in the transfer of 130,000 square feet of the Travenol factory to the IDA for promotion. A senior executive in the IDA has been assigned on a full time basis to promote Castlebar for suitable industrial projects. If the Deputy does not appreciate this information, his constituents will.
I and my constituents are well aware of this information since 1985. The Minister has not answered the question. Is the solemn commitment given by the IDA on the announcement of the closure of Travenol still in place and does Castlebar have top priority so far as the allocation of new manufacturing industry is concerned? Is this delay in the closure of Travenol being used as a way out of that solemn commitment given to my town and my constituency?
The words used by the Deputy are extravagant in the extreme.
That is the Minister's usual response when he is in a corner. The Minister should get on with it.
Order, please.
I am most anxious about Castlebar. I would hate the Deputy's home town to be upset by a decision of mine. A task force was established within the IDA and a senior executive has been assigned on a full time basis to promote Castlebar. Solemn promises about industrial development can be given for the whole of Ireland, because this Government are dedicated to giving employment throughout Ireland. Castlebar has been singled out for a special high level task force and a senior IDA executive on a full time basis. That is a fair reflection of the IDA's determination to ensure that whatever employment losses have occured in Castlebar will be made up. In January 1984 the manufacturing employment in County Mayo was 5,522 and in January 1986 it was 5,076. That is a decline of about 10 per cent, which is not bad considering the difficult period we have gone through. I am satisfied that the IDA commitment to Castlebar is sound and will be successful.
Does the Minister agree that per head of population in Mayo there is more unused empty factory space than in any other county and that there is a level of unemployment per thousand of the population greater than in any other county? Does he agree that the solid commitment given to Mayo by the IDA and to Castlebar has not been honoured? Would the Minister indicate that we can expect more action and more jobs before the time for fulfilment of the promise runs out in December 1986?
I am satisfied with the IDA commitment to Castlebar and that it will be reflected in success by the establishment of new industry and more jobs in Castlebar and in Mayo generally. The employment figures given by the Deputy are of a technical nature. The Deputy is in conflict not only with me but with Deputy Browne of his party who on the previous question said that County Wexford has the highest unemployment rate in Ireland. Deputy Flynn now says that Mayo has the highest unemployment rate and I have no doubt that the next Deputy will say his county has the highest unemployment rate.
It only goes to show the mismanagement of the country by the Coalition.
It goes to show that Deputy Flynn is like every other Deputy, fighting for his own county. He is lucky: he has a task force in Castlebar and he has an IDA executive assigned on a fulltime basis. His constituents may be satisfied that the IDA are with them in Castlebar, even the song contest — everybody is singing in Castlebar.
The Minister has failed to manage our resources.