Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Apr 1991

Vol. 407 No. 6

Written Answers. - Employment in Wood Processing Industry.

John Bruton

Ceist:

29 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Energy if he will give a breakdown on the achievement on the targets for 1,000 extra jobs in the wood processing industry in section V 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 Energy (Mr. Molloy):

Employment statistics for individual sectors of the timber industry are a matter for the Central Statistics Office and are not the responsibility of my Department.

The gross employment created by the expansion of forestry activity under the Programme for National Recovery amounted to 1,400 jobs. I am satisfied that the forestry employment targets set out in that programme were not alone achieved but were, in fact, exceeded.