Vol. 420 No. 7
56 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will make a statement on the recent marketing forum report which was critical of Ireland's lack of experienced clothes designers and other aspects of the £400 million clothing industry market.
A report on the proceedings of the Irish Clothing Industry Marketing Forum which comprised representatives from the clothing industry including manufacturers, retailers, industry service personnel and An Bord Tráchtála was presented to the Minister for Trade and Marketing, Mary O'Rourke TD on Tuesday, 26 May 1992.
Accepting the report, Minister O'Rourke said that she regarded this document as a launching pad for a number of initiatives which will enhance the marketing performance of the Irish clothing industry. Among the measures announced by the Minister for Trade and Marketing were: a reference guide to sources of information on the clothing industry has been produced by An Bord Tráchtála, ABT, and will be circulated within the industry. The guide will be a "live" document and will be updated on a regular basis by ABT; five-six regional seminars on exporting will be organised by ABT in early September for manufacturers who rely exclusively on the domestic market; the Minister has requested An Bord Tráchtála to extend its Marketing Consultants Programme to include the assignment of design consultants to firms in the clothing sector.
A number of recommendations in the forum report call for action by the clothing industry itself and the Minister for Trade and Marketing gave an assurance that she would not be found wanting if a strong representative association came back with further ideas for developing the industry.
