Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 24 Apr 1991

Vol. 407 No. 4

Written Answers. - Targets of Programme for National Recovery.

John Bruton

Ceist:

58 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will give a breakdown on the achievement of the targets for 1,000 extra jobs in the pig processing industry in paragraph 15 of the Programme for National Recovery; the number employed in this sector in (1) 1987 and (2) at the latest date for which figures are available; and his views on whether job creation in this sector had lived up to the targets agreed for it between the Government and the social partners in 1987.

John Bruton

Ceist:

59 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will give a breakdown on the achievement of the targets for 200 extra jobs in the sheep meat industry in the Programme for National Recovery; the number employed in this sector in (1) 1987 and (2) at the latest date for which figures are available; and his view on whether job creation in this sector has lived up to the targets agreed for it between the Government and the social partners in 1987.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. O'Kennedy):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 59 together.

Projections for the sheepmeat and pigmeat sectors in the Programme for National Recovery for the five-year period 1987 to 1991 and actual performance to 1990 are as follows:

Gross Job Creation

Sector	Projection	Actual
Sheepmeat	200	140
Pigmeat	1,000	1,134

The targets set in the programme for gross job creation in those two sectors combined had been met by 1990.

According to the CSO the following is the position regarding employment in the meat sector in 1987 and at the latest date for which figures are available. A specific breakdown for sheepmeat and pigmeat is not readily available.

Employment

1987	1990(Sept.)
9,400	10,200

John Bruton

Ceist:

60 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will give a breakdown on the achievement of the targets for 1,500 to 2,000 extra jobs in the horticulture industry in paragraph 21 of the Programme for National Recovery; the number employed in this sector in (1) 1987 and (2) at the latest date for which figures are available; and his views on whether job creation in this sector has lived up to the targets agreed for it between the Government and the social partners in 1987.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. O'Kennedy):

Paragraph 21 of the Programme for National Recovery stated that a five-year development plan for the horticulture industry was under preparation which would lay the basis of the creation of 1,500 to 2,000 jobs.

In November 1988 An Bord Glas published A Programme for the Development of Horticulture which envisages the creation of 1,750 full-time and 1,500 part-time jobs in the horticulture sector by the end of 1993.

The labour force survey does not provide a breakdown for specific areas of agriculture. However, it is estimated that approximately 9,500 people were employed in horticulture in 1987.

It is estimated that in the period 1987 to 1990 some 800 full-time and 600 part-time jobs were created in horticulture. This is in line with the targets set out in the An Bord Glas programme.