asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if, in view of the unprecedented degree of unemployment in this country revealed by the latest figures, he will indicate the steps he is taking to encourage investment by private enterprise, both from domestic and foreign sources, to create badly needed employment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Creation of Employment.
4.
The volume of investment from industrial proposals received from home and overseas industries has been at a record level in the past two years and this will result in a substantial level of new job creation both this year and in the next few years.
In order to stimulate further investment the Government have substantially increased the financial allocation of the Industrial Development Authority for this year. The authority will give speedy consideration to industrial proposals received from home sources and will give special consideration to the development of small industry. The authority are also intensifying their overseas promotional activities and are reviewing their regional industrial plans in order to expand total manufacturing employment in the State.
In the past six months there has been a serious net job loss, and what the IDA are trying to do is totally inadequate when foreign capital is apparently very loath to come into the country as is evident from Du Pont in Cork Harbour and Alcan at Foynes.
There is malicious glee of a profoundly inaccurate kind in the Deputy's allegation that foreign capital is not willing to come into the country. There has indeed been a serious net loss but the potential when at full production—not the job creation element—of new industrial projects approved in the financial year 1972-73 was 14,000; in the financial year 1973-74 it was 23,000; and in the nine months April to December, 1974 it was 19,800, the 12-month equivalent of which would be 26,400, a rising plane, a dramatic rising plane, double in the period of this Government of new job potential in industrial projects approved. One could go on with other figures. The fixed asset investment for the past three years is more than £800 million as against £206 million in the preceding three years. There is a great deal of evidence of an inflow of capital and of interest in the potential of Ireland as a location for industry. The increase in unemployment in Ireland in the period of the present economic difficulties has been one-tenth of the percentage increase in Denmark, a comparable country undergoing comparable difficulties, having entered the EEC at the same time. There is a malicious glee in pulling down the efforts of this Government, but in trying to damage the Government they are also damagng the country and the people.
Do not the 103,000 unemployed speak for themselves?
Would the Deputy wipe the look of cynicism off his face? Do not spread bad news. There has been a great deal more building up in my time than in the Deputy's time.
(Interruptions.)
Now that the Minister has agreed there has been a very serious net job loss in the past 12 months, is he not as aware as I am that these figures of employment at full potential are paper jobs that might or might not happen in 1984, and that the 103,000 people out of employment——
Do not start malicious forecasts about 1984.
The 103,000 people out of work want work now.
This is Question Time. I am anxious to assist Deputies to elicit relevant information but there cannot be speeches.
Has the Minister evidence of withdrawals from approval stage—firms withdrawing where grants had been approved?
There are withdrawals, and there have been withdrawals every year since the IDA began to function.
Would the Minister give us the number of withdrawals?
Du pont and Alcan.
The Deputy is deliberately damaging. He may regret some of that.
I wish to bring the Minister back to 1975. Something may happen here. Two of the oldest and biggest firms in the city will let men go. One of these firms, which is a very large one, will have to disband without help from the Government. Would the Minister tell the House that he can offer some help to this concern? The second firm has been established for many years, one of our most efficient companies. They have now come to the situation where they may have to let a lot of men go. Does the Minister hold any hope of finding some way to help these two firms at least to maintain their present employment numbers? They are very good firms but they will be going in the next fortnight unless the Government takes some action to help them.
I am in the position that the Deputy is naming two firms and if he puts down questions I will do my best to reply to them. I said yesterday in reply to a question that my personal intervention, my Department, Fóir Teoranta, the IDA, ICC and other agencies of the State, are available to help firms in difficulties, and these firms are functioning well in difficult times. I would like them to come forward and use these agencies. If Deputies have particular information of situations where an early intervention on my part would be helpful I would be very happy to get it, through the mechanism of parliamentary question, publicly, or privately.
Question No. 5 postponed.