John Bruton
Question:2 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he has any plans, in the context of negotiations for a renewal of The Programme for National Recovery or otherwise, to commission a special study of the problem of emigration.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Recovery Programme Negotiations.
John Bruton
Question:3 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the steps, if any, the Government are taking to encourage more employment intensive growth in view of the concern expressed in this matter by the trade union movement and others in the context of negotiations for a renewal of The Programme for National Recovery.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together.
The National Economic and Social Council are undertaking a study of emigration which will be available later in the year. A study is being undertaken in conjunction with the European Commission on the connection between growth and employment.
Will the Tánaiste indicate if the National Economic and Social Council have been asked to make any specific recommendations in regard to the problem of emigration? Does he agree that the rate of emigration, at 46,000 a year, is a matter of the gravest concern and that the Council should, therefore, be asked not simply to carry out another academic study on emigration but to actually make concrete recommendations upon which the Government could act to deal, in so far as it is within our power, with this matter?
That is precisely what they are engaged in and the work will be completed towards the end of the year. The mandate that has been given to the National Economic and Social Council is precisely along the lines suggested by Deputy Bruton.
On Question No. 3, is the Tánaiste aware that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions stated that with the present rate of job creation there will still be a rate of unemployment of over 200,000 in 1992? Is the Tánaiste aware that there are very serious views in the trade union movement that while there has been relative success in regard to economic growth, we have been unable to convert this into actual job creation? Can he tell us the nature of the expertise that is being provided to the Government by the EC in this matter and whether he expects that this study will make specific recommendations as to what the Government should do?
The Deputy has interpreted correctly the basis of the problem and on that basis this study is being undertaken as a matter of urgency. It will involve a steering group which will include the European Commission, NESC, the Department of Finance and the Department of the Taoiseach, a small, tight group of that nature which will report urgently. Its mandate will be to deal with specifics of this problem rather than analysis. I think there has been enough analysis. It is time to get down to specifics and that is what this working group will be concerned with.
Arising from the Tánaiste's reply to Question No. 2, may I ask him if discussions have taken place in relation to the anomalous position of Irish emigrants as regards voting rights? Further, what were the reasons for the failure of the Irish Government to support the demand of emigrants' groups to have a clear question included on ethnic status in the British census?
I am afraid we are having an extension of this question.
The main purpose of this working group is to deal with the economic and social aspects of the problem.
How can the Tánaiste conclude that the circumstances that exist now are in any way dissimilar to those which existed in the 1950s when a Commission on Emigration was established? What reasons have the Government for refusing, as this question suggests, the establishment of a commission on emigration?
From Deputy Bruton's remarks a few minutes ago I think he will concur that we have had enough analysis in these matters and we now want to get to a decision point. Both of these problems in relation to emigration and translating investment and growth into jobs are intertwined. What we want to do now is to get down to basic specific proposals as to what we are going to do about these problems. That is the type of mandate these two groups will have and they will report back urgently to the Government.
Does the Tánaiste agree that the policy of the IDA over the past ten years has been a total disaster in the area of job creation, the main area they are supposed to be dealing with, in that there are now fewer people in industrial employment than there were ten years ago?
There is a lot of extraneous matter being injected into this question.
The Deputy will agree that due to the good work of this Government, in particular since 1987, and the IDA, we have now created the investment base on which we should proceed to create the jobs.
You have not got the jobs.
There were not high interest rates in 1987.
That is the purpose of this exercise but we could not engage in it if we had not got the investment and industrial base that has been created through the efforts and the work of the IDA under the direction of this Government.
Would the Tánaiste not agree it would be a good idea that, apart from the NESC examining this very serious matter, an all-party committee of this House would have the opportunity of considering such a problem? Will he agree that the Government have consistently refused offers from this side of the House to deal with our most basic problem, that is tax reform?
That clearly is a separate matter.