Vol. 405 No. 9
121 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of people employed in the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland; if he will give a break-down by category and location; if he has satisfied himself that the companies involved have and are adhering to Irish monitoring and planning conditions; and if he will make a statement on the future projected employment in this area.
The Central Statistics Office is the official source for the employment details requested. The Central Statistics Office's latest statistical bulletin shows employment in the pharmaceutical industry, NACE Code 2570, at 6,200 as at June 1990, provisional. I understand that the Central Statistics Office do not provide any breakdown of employment in the pharmaceutical industry by category or location.
The enforcement of planning conditions takes place primarily under the aegis of the Minister for the Environment. Responsibility for the enforcement of planning and environmental conditions is currently a matter for the appropriate local authority; the proposed Environmental Protection Agency will be responsible for environmental licensing and monitoring when it is established. The industrial development agencies, on foot of an instruction from me some time ago, support these authorities by withholding grants from companies in breach of planning and environmental requirements.
The pharmaceutical industry has been one of the key contributors to job creation in recent years. The agencies will be looking to the pharmaceutical industry to make significant contribution to the achievement of the 20,000 new jobs per annum from industry/international services over the period of the new Programme for Economic and Social Progress.
