I move:
That a sum not exceeding £128,767,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1990, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Labour, including certain services administered by that Office, and for payment of certain grants and grants-in-aid.
In the short time at my disposal, I cannot hope to do more than highlight some aspects of my Department's work which are particularly important.
To begin with I should highlight my main priorities at present.
In the first place, we have had a successful Presidency of the European Community. Long-term unemployment has been put back on the Council's agenda and a programme for the implementation of the Social Charter has been drawn up.
As regards the Community Support Framework, over £1 billion has been pledged by the Commission for the period to 1993 in respect of training activities. This massive investment will further enhance our potential for economic development and growth.
While there has been much activity in relation to European Community affairs, this has not hindered progress at home. Strike activity has fallen dramatically and the Industrial Relations Bill has passed all Stages in this House. The Bill has been one of my main priorities since assuming office. Its enactment will make a major contribution to improving industrial relations practices and procedures.
As regards employment and unemployment the Live Register figures have fallen substantially. Employment has begun to increase in the past few years, in contrast to the position in the early eighties. With regard to training activities, major advances can be reported in respect of certification, apprenticeship and improved programmes for the disadvantaged.
Other areas in which considerable progress can be reported include safety measures and the establishment of the National Authority for Occupational Safety and Health and positive action for women. I am also preparing, as a major priority, a Bill to provide for the extension of all labour legislation to part-time workers. I intend to have a Bill drafted shortly.
To complete this summary of main events, let me emphasise the overall progress which has been made in the past few years in economic and social development. A few years ago the very nature of our political institutions was being questioned as our inability to find solutions to our economic problems led to an air of hopelessness. We have, however, effectively put the economy of this country back on its feet. As we come to the end of the current Programme for National Recovery we stand at a crossroads. The places on one sign are well known to us: high inflation, losses in real wages, job losses and debt traps. The other sign points to a new programme for economic and social progress so that, once and for all, we can solve the problems which still remain with us and conquer the scourges of unemployment and emigration. The choice is in our hands. We have no option but to choose the road of consensus and co-operation.
I would now like to turn to the issues I have mentioned in further detail.
First, the main focus of activity during the first six months of this year has been the Irish Presidency of the European Community. The huge amount of work involved has, I believe, been fully justified by a successful Presidency, which has drawn the attention of the other member states to Ireland and heightened awareness here of the European Community.
My two priorities from the beginning were action to help the long-term unemployed and measures to implement the Social Charter. I was very pleased that both my Presidency Resolution on Action to help the long-term unemployed and the Presidency timetable for the action programme were accepted by the Social Affairs Council.
Overall, the Presidency programme we pursued was ambitious and broad in scope. An additional major factor was introduced by the rapid developments in Eastern Europe. These inevitably had an impact on the business of the Presidency, and they will continue to play an important part in Community matters for the foreseeable future.
I am pleased to say, however, that the Irish Presidency, with the full co-operation of other member states, dealt successfully with all the social affairs issues raised during its period of office.
Turning now to economic development at home, we are receiving a massive injection of investment from the European Community through the Community Support Framework negotiated by the Government with the Commission last year. Already since 1973 we have been approved for assistance from the European Social Fund alone of over £1,437 million. For the period to 1993, the Commission has pledged a sum of £1 billion under the reformed European Social Fund.
The Government intend to continue to make optimum use of the Fund for vocational training, for improved technological education and for schemes to train and rehabilitate the long-term unemployed. This will further enhance our potential for economic development and growth.
Industrial relations have a major part to play in supporting a climate conductive to investment. Over the last few years there has been a marked improvement in the industrial relations environment. Last year indeed was an exceptional year; the number of days lost through strikes was only 41,400, the lowest since 1944.
Over-ambitious expectations could jeopardise this. While the economic forecasts are optimistic, we are a small economy, exceptionally vulnerable to international economic developments in an increasingly competitive world. We simply cannot afford the luxury of domestically generated policy mistakes.
I have been anxious to ensure that the legislative framework on trade unions and collective bargaining makes a positive contribution to good industrial relations. In line with my commitment under the Programme for National Recovery, after extensive discussions with employers and unions, I introduced the Industrial Relations Bill to this House last December. The Bill has now passed the House and I am confident that its proposed measures will make an important contribution to better industrial relations in this country.
The Programme for National Recovery has led to major progress on a wide range of issues and the targets which it contained have been achieved and indeed in some areas far surpassed. The success of the programme demonstrates the advantages of co-operation between the Government and the social partners, working together towards the attainment of common goals. However, if we are to build on the achievements already made, it is essential to put a successor in place. I know it will not be easy to negotiate but, given commitment and goodwill on all sides, I know that we can achieve a programme for economic and social progress.
1989 was the year in which the economic recovery began to yield a significant increase in real employment. All the economic commentators are now agreed that total employment increased by between 10,000-12,000 net in 1989, or just over 1 per cent. The prospects for 1990 are even more encouraging. The ESRI is forecasting that total employment this year will be 16,000 higher than in 1989, while the Central Bank is only slightly more cautious.
A heartening feature of the employment performance during 1989 was that fewer jobs were lost than at any time since 1979. According to official statistics gathered by my Department, notified redundancies were down to 13,395 as against 23,037 in 1988. This was the lowest annual total since 1979.
This welcome development has continued during the first four months of 1990, with the number of notified redundancies almost 25 per cent lower than in the corresponding period in 1989. If this trend lasts for the full year, it will ensure that the net employment effect of new jobs created will be even stronger than in 1989.
By far the largest part of my Department's Vote over £114 million, will be spent this year on training and employment services. This will given training and job creation places to 54,000 people in 1990. This expenditure contributes significantly to the achievement of greater employment levels and to helping the unemployed.
FÁS is developing certification for all its courses in conjunction with the City and Guilds of London. This should enhance the attractiveness of FÁS courses for the unemployed and improve their job prospects.
The question of "standards reached" is also to the forefront in the apprenticeship review currently being undertaken by FÁS. I am looking forward to receipt of the FÁS proposals for a revised apprenticeship' system later this year.
In the case of the hotel and catering industry, demand for trained people now exceeds supply. CERT has a very important role to play in meeting the targets set for tourism in the run up to 1993. CERT are expanding their training to over 9,000 in 1990. More than 1,000 of these will be recruited from among the unemployed.
A number of FÁS programmes are targeted particularly at the disadvantaged. These include Youthreach, the integrated programme of education, training and work experience for early school leavers. In 1989 over 3,000 young people who had left school with no qualifications started on Youthreach. While it is too early to assess the programme fully, I am confident that it is addressing the real needs of early school leavers.
For the long-unemployed, I would like to mention in particular the social employment scheme, which is being expanded this year by 50 per cent to 15,000 places.
Teamwork has been continued in 1990, despite the fact that assistance from the European Social Fund is no longer available. The employment incentive scheme has also been targeted more closely towards this group and other disadvantaged persons.
The general measures to help the long-term unemployed, such as the social employment scheme and the employment incentive scheme, also provide assistance for employment blackspots.
Additional measures are directed specifically at urban areas. The end result will be that local facilities will be improved to the benefit of all residents.
As Minister for Labour, I am committed to the improvement of the status of women in employment. While the legislation relating to equal pay and equal treatment can only provide a framework, I hope to introduce proposals for improving this legislation by the end of this year.
An effective programme of positive action in education, training and in the workplace is also essential. In the training area, I recently launched a new two-year positive action programme in favour of women for FÁS. In the workplace, positive action is also required. Some companies are already operating such programmes and in order to give them some public recognition I launched a new company award scheme in May called "Equality Focus".
Turning now to occupational safety and health, the progression from the limited scope of earlier health and safety legislation to the point where all workers are comprehensively covered will be difficult and can only be achieved on a phased basis over a number of years.
I am satisfied that the three-year programme of the National Authority for Occupational Safety and Health, and in particular its planned activities for 1990, will make a significant contribution towards the creation by employers, in co-operation with their workers, of a safe and healthy environment in all our workplaces.
For labour legislation in general, it is my intention to bring the amending legislation on unfair dismissals and payment of wages before the Oireachtas by the end of the year.
The House will also be aware that I have carried out a review of the issues of part-time working. I expect to put my final proposals for legislative change before the Government in the near future. I hope to bring forward a Bill later in the year which will significantly improve the level of protection afforded under labour law to regular part-time employees.
My Department also enforces the 14 Employment Regulation Orders made under the Industrial Relations Acts. These orders give important protection on minimum pay and conditions in traditionally low-paid or unorganised areas of employment. I have made provision in the Industrial Relations Bill for this system to be improved and strengthened.
In conclusion I would like to highlight the overall improvement in economic life as illustrated by patterns of emigration. As a result of the upturn in the economy, all the indicators are now showing a rapid decrease in outward migration. The annual rate of net emigration this year is forecast to be about 25,000 compared with about 45,000 for 1989.
The Government are committed to accelerating the pace of job creation to the point where no-one should feel obliged to emigrate out of economic necessity. I will continue to direct my Department's activities towards measures supporting and assisting this resurgence in employment in every way open to me.
I commend this Vote to the House.
Let me conclude by saying that we hope to have various papers in relation to a second programme for national and social progress during the summer months. Much of this work has already been done. We will be looking at the economy and at the share we hope people will obtain from the relative wealth that we have succeeded in maintaining under the Programme for National Recovery. I am adamant that in this and in any programme, at least a share of the benefits must be passed on to workers and their families. The rewards of the stability we have had in the economy as a result of the Programme for National Recovery will be passed on in whatever way possible.
I look forward to a wide discussion of the trade union movement and employment to find out the areas where we can deliver back some of these rewards. Some I have mentioned. There are many more that I would like to speak about. I would like to go more into the subject of worker participation during the year. I also want to thank the House, since it is Estimate time, for their help and co-operation in regard to the safety Bill before Christmas and the Industrial Relations Bill since.