asked the Minister for Finance if, in view of the necessity for an informed discussion by the House on free trade developments, he will circulate to members statements of gross output, home consumption, exports, imports and employment for 1966 and 1970 as agreed to date for many manufacturing industries at the joint annual reviews between the adaptation associations, trade associations, the trade unions, and Government Departments; if he will state, in respect of the industries not subject to such review meetings, the estimates of employment for the same period made to date by the Development Division of his Department; and if he will state the assumptions on which this industrial programming has been based on this occasion.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Circulation of Economic Statistics.
32.
The discussions with representatives of management and unions which form part of the annual review of industrial progress under the Second Programme for Economic Expansion cover some 60 per cent of all industrial output. Most of the 1965 series of meetings have now been held, but only in isolated instances have the figures requested by the Deputy been agreed by all concerned. I am not, therefore, in a position to give the information sought in the first part of the question.
As regards the industries not covered by these discussions, the review work involved is nearing completion, but it is not yet possible to furnish the particulars requested.
For the purposes of the current review, it has been assumed that a new Anglo-Irish Trading Agreement, based on the free trade principle, would take effect from mid-1966; that under this Agreement Irish tariff and quota protection would, in general, be dismantled over a ten-year period and that Irish industry would have immediate tariff-free access to the British market; that Ireland and the UK would become members of the EEC shortly before, or shortly after, 1970; and that Ireland would be given full duty-free access to the EEC on securing membership.
The normal procedure in respect of the data requested by the Deputy would be that it would be supplied to the National Industrial Economic Council. The Council would then furnish its views to the Government, indicating what changes in policy might be desirable. However, in view of the interest displayed in this year's review and its immediate relevance to the forthcoming debate on the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area, I shall explore the possibility of giving the Dáil some general indication of its results in connection with the debate.