asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism if the campaign to switch 3p in the £1 from imports to home products has been a success; the number of extra jobs directly attributable to the campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Promotion of Irish Goods.
29.
The target of the programme for the promotion of Irish goods was to channel the equivalent of an additional 3 per cent of personal consumer expenditure to Irish goods with a similar increase in industrial purchasing. As this target was to be achieved over a three-year period a final assessment of the effectiveness of the programme cannot be made until some time after the completion of the three-year period.
In so far as personal consumer expenditure is concerned it will not be possible to quantify the effects of the programme because consumers' decisions are influenced by so many different factors. However, surveys have indicated that the campaign has been very successful in increasing consumers' awareness of the importance to the economy of buying Irish goods and of the value for money which Irish goods represent for the consumers.
In so far as industrial purchasing is concerned it is for obvious reasons easier to quantify the results of the campaign. The Irish Goods Council have identified a wide range of industrial components which were being imported and have succeeded in having such components to a value of £27 million obtained from Irish suppliers in 1978 and 1979. These orders would represent approximately 1,300 jobs and there is considerable scope for further development in this area.
Will the Minister of State tell the House when this three-year campaign commenced? May I suggest to him that this campaign was in operation prior to his coming to office.
The three-year programme in support of Irish goods was started in January 1978. The announcement was made at a press conference by the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy, Deputy O'Malley.
Is the Minister saying that this is a three-year programme of which two and a half years have elapsed? Is he saying that at this stage he is not in a position to evaluate the success of the campaign?
I have explained to the Deputy the difficulty with regard to personal consumer expenditure. I have also clarified for him the fact that there were 1,300 jobs directly involved in industrial purchasing. The campaign involved not only manufacturing industry but also services. Using the normal ratio of one job in manufacturing to one and a half jobs in services, the Deputy will see we are talking about nearly 4,000 people in that sector alone. The overall target was 10,000.
May I ask the Minister of State——
I will allow a final supplementary on this question.
This is my first question.
We cannot stay all afternoon on one question.
Will the Minister of State say whether at the end of the three years there will be another press conference at which the Minister will give us full details of the progress of the scheme?
The question of the kind of campaign that will be continued is being considered at present by the Government. An announcement on the matter will be made at a later stage.
I will allow a final supplementary question.
The Minister of State has said that he has created 1,300 jobs in industrial purchasing and he gave us the ratio as it applied to jobs in the service industries. According to him we are talking about 4,000 jobs. Does he consider that the remaining six months will produce 1,000 jobs per month to meet the target in the manifesto of 10,000 jobs before the end of the three-years period? There is a shortfall of 6,000 jobs.
The attitude of the Deputy with regard to the question of supporting Irish goods and the purchase of Irish goods surprises me.
The Minister of State should not twist this around.
I am suggesting that the Deputy, his party and those on the other side of the House might show a little more enthusiasm towards support for the campaign. Then we could maintain progress.
I am calling Question No. 30.
I am just jogging the Minister's memory about the target set in the manifesto.
The Deputy knows I have called Question No. 30.
The Minister has made inuendos about Members on this side of the House. We are behind this campaign; in fact, Deputy Bruton started it before the Deputy came into office.
The Deputy is now making a statement. I have called Question No. 30.
I should like to ask the junior Minister a question.
I should like to reply to the last question put by Deputy O'Toole. I suggest to the Deputy that he studies the figures. When Deputy Bruton was involved with the goods council they were getting a grant of about £100,000 or £120,000 per year. In the three-year programme this Government are supporting the council to the tune of £750,000 each year.
They got an increase of 0.1 per cent this year.
I reject what the Minister said about this party in relation to supporting Irish goods. Will he tell the House what he means by supporting Irish goods?
I do not think that is a genuine question. I have called Question No. 30.
It is a genuine question. I should like a reply.
I mean supporting goods manufactured in this country and services supplied in this country.
Will the Minister of State tell the House his definition of "this country"?
Question No. 30. The Deputy may not continue on that line.
The Minister wants to get into this area of debate. I was entitled to ask that question.
I am calling on the Minister of State to deal with Question No. 30.
I would refer the Deputy to the replies which I gave to similar questions——
The Minister of State is discriminating against Irish goods north of the Border——
Deputy Harte should conduct himself in this House.
(Interruptions.)
Order. Deputy Harte has come into the House during every Question Time when I have been in the Chair trying to frustrate the objective of dealing with questions.
I resent that.
The Deputy may resent it as much as he likes. I have called Question No. 30.
I am entitled to ask supplementary questions. The Minister of State has made insulting and snide remarks about this party——
They were not snide remarks. They were direct remarks.
If the Minister of State cannot conduct himself——
If Deputy Harte does not conduct himself he will have to leave the House.
The Minister of State and his party are discriminating against Irishmen north of the Border and against the goods they produce.