asked the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism when the Government will make a decision arising out of the report on the National Economic and Social Council on designation for areas for industrial policy; and if he will ensure that any recommendation designating areas for higher grant purposes will take account of County Wexford given its high rate of unemployment.
Written Answers. - NESC Report.
33.
The results of a detailed review — which I have commissioned from the Economic and Social Research Institute — of the implications of the recommendations in the NESC report on designation of areas for industrial policy are necessary before any changes in designation could be considered by the Government. Accordingly I am not in a position, at this stage, to indicate when the Government will make any decisions arising out of the NESC report.
The NESC recommendations envisage the application of objective criteria, based on labour market imbalances, to determine designated status. The existing rate of unemployment in a particular area is one of the factors which the NESC recommends should be taken into account in this regard.