Séamus Pattison
Question:32 Mr. Pattison asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will outline his plans for NADCORP in 1990.
Written Answers. - Plans for NADCORP.
The remit and powers of the National Development Corporation are established by the National Development Corporation Act, 1986. I have no plans at this stage to seek an amendment to this legislation.
I am on record as stating that I believe there is a need for NADCORP to become more developmental, while retaining a long-term commerical remit. An important objective would be to integrate NADCORP's operations more fully into the central focus of industrial policy. For example, I have suggested that NADCORP might consider concentrating more heavily on a small number of sectors of strategic national importance, which may be considered high risk. Such sectors would include the indigenous electronics and software sectors in which NADCORP have already become involved. I believe also that NADCORP could underpin the efforts of the State promotional agencies in national programmes such as linkage, company development and small enterprise development.