Written Answers. - Irish Industrial Companies.
Richard Bruton
Ceist:
103
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Enterprise and Employment
the number and identity of the Irish industrial companies whose output is in excess of £100 million, is between £90 million and £100 million, between £80 million and £90 million, and between £70 million and £80 million, respectively, showing the current value of output in each case; and the scale of output growth that will be necessary to achieve the Government's target of doubling the number of companies with output in excess of £100 million.
I am advised by the IDA that the number of indigenous firms in each of the categories concerned is as follows:
|
Manufacturing Turnover
|
Number of Companies
|
|
£m
|
|
|
100+
|
17
|
|
90 – 100
|
0
|
|
80 – 90
|
1
|
|
70 – 80
|
4
|
In addition, a further seven companies have turnover in the £50 million — £70 million range.
These figures have been prepared on the basis of information made available on a confidential basis to the IDA. Accordingly, it is not possible to indicate the identify or current turnover of each firm.
The target in the National Development Plan for a doubling of the number of indigenous manufacturing firms with a turnover in Ireland in excess of £100 million (from 16 in 1989 to 32 in 1999) was based on sector by sector analysis of the likely and desirable structural changes in indigenous industry by the end of the decade.
The scale of output growth will vary depending on the existing turnover of individual firms. On the basis of the figures in the table the output growth required would vary from some 16 per cent to over 100 per cent for firms where output at present is less than £50 million.
The achievement of this target is also closely related to the attainment of the scale of export growth projected in the Plan. The Plan projects an increase in indigenous exports from £3.7 billion in 1992 to £6.8 billion in 1999 (1992 prices).
Richard Bruton
Ceist:
104
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Enterprise and Employment
the number of small business industrial start-ups in each of the past five years; and the projected level of these start-ups in the next six years.
The information requested by the Deputy is a day-to-day matter for the agencies involved in industrial start-ups and not one in which I have a direct function.
However, I am advised that the number of small business industrial start-ups assisted by the two principal industrial development agencies, IDA and SFADCo, over the five year period 1988 to 1992 were as follows:
|
1988
|
335
|
|
1989
|
339
|
|
1990
|
242
|
|
1991
|
179
|
|
1992
|
168
|
Apart from the IDA and SFADCo, I understand there are several other Agencies/Groups involved in business start-ups, including industrial start-ups, some of which come within the aegis of other Departments. An example of the latter would be the Leader Groups for which my colleague the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry has responsibility.
I am informed that statistics differentiating between industrial and nonindustrial start-ups are not readily available in respect of the agencies/groups, other than IDA and SFADCo, involved in this area.
In terms of the future, the County Enterprise Boards (CEBs) which I recently announced, will be the primary source for generating industrial start-ups. The CEBs will seek to tape the employment opportunities in their individual localities and to encourage local-based start-ups including industrial start-ups by providing grants, support and advice to small commercially viable projects.
