Vol. 409 No. 6
49 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Minister for the Environment if he has been informed by the Central Statistics Office that cement sales have declined substantially in the first quarter of this year; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a decline in cement sales indicates reduced activity in the building industry; and the proposals, if any, he has to stimulate the building industry and to preserve jobs in the industry.
I am aware of reports that cement sales have declined in the first quarter of this year. However, the volume of cement sales is only one of a number of indicators of the level of construction activity. My Department's own review of output in 1990 and the outlook for 1991 will be completed shortly and I am not prepared to speculate on the situation in the meantime.
The Programme for Economic and Social Progress has highlighted a number of measures which will continue to stimulate activity in the construction sector. While it acknowledges that the principal vehicle for growth will continue to be the private sector, it also refers to major public investment programmes which have major significance for growth in the industry, including the operational programme on peripherality and the urban renewal scheme. In this regard, I might mention that the 1991 public capital programme provisions affecting the construction industry are increased by 8.5 per cent over the out-turn for 1990. The plan for social housing which I announced in February 1991 also contains a range of measures which will have the effect of boosting housing output.
