asked the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism if he will review a policy decision by the IDA in refusing grant assistance to the newspaper industry for the introduction of modern technology for newspaper production.
Written Answers. - Assistance for Newspaper Industry.
530.
The question of providing grants to any particular sector of manufacturing industry or to individual firms is a matter for the Industrial Development Authority, in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Development Acts. Under the relevant legislation, there is no provision to allow the Government, or myself as Minister, to intervene in such a case.
The IDA have in fact, reviewed their initial decision, announced on 14 March 1984, not to make any grants available to either provincial or national newspapers. As a result of that review, the authority, as they had indicated previously, are prepared to consider assisting new proposals which would result in such clear economic benefits as extra export earnings. In addition, the authority are prepared to make a limited contribution to the retraining of key operatives in the use of computerised photo composition equipment, because of the strategic importance, for the sector, of moving to the new technology.
The authority would expect the major portion of the retraining funds to come from the European Social Fund, or the industry itself.