Vol. 398 No. 10
43 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if his attention has been drawn to the conclusions of the recent Henley Centre Ireland forecast of regional development in Ireland and the continuation of excessively high levels of unemployment in the Dublin region; if he will outline the measures, if any, he proposes to take to improve the disastrous level of unemployment in the Dublin region; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I have not been furnished with a copy of the Henley Centre Ireland report to which the Deputy refers. I understand, however, that the report, which is primarily a study of regional variations in consumer spending during the 1980s includes projections as to future regional development on the basis of certain macro-economic assumptions and drawing on a sample survey of interviewees in each of the regions.
I would have to point out that both of these factors are subject to variation and that the macro-economic assumptions in particular may not necessarily coincide with Government forecasts or indeed, with projections put forward by other economic forecasting organisations in relation to growth, inflation, interest rates or corporate profitability.
In general the Government favour a policy of balanced regional development for the country as a whole, including the greater Dublin area. Within such a policy, however, there will, inevitably, be occasional regional disparities which will fluctuate over any given period.
So far as the Dublin region is concerned, I am satisfied that the Government's general policies of restoring order to the public finances, introducing pro-employment tax reform and selectively targeting State aid to encourage the development of a competitive, export driven industrial sector will succeed in reducing the present high levels of unemployment.
